Boy takes cue from YouTube for ATM fraud

Akash Ghai

Mohali, July 3

Taking a cue from YouTube, a 14-year-old boy of Phase X committed an ATM fraud here.

The minor was rounded up by the local police today. The boy, a student of Class VIII at a local government school, admitted before the police that he had fraudulently taken money from an ATM of Canara Bank thrice in the recent past.

“I have fraudulently taken amounts of Rs 500, Rs 400 and Rs 1,000 from the ATM and used the money for buying clothes and eatables,” the minor reportedly confessed before the police.

The boy said on YouTube, he had seen a man at ATM fixing an iron plate in the space from where the currency comes out. “Whenever someone visted the ATM to withdraw money, the iron plate stopped the currency from coming out, which the man took away later,” said the boy, who claimed that he used a piece of cardboard instead to block the money. “Whenever any person visiting the ATM booth withdrew money and left the counter, I used to pull out the cardboard piece along with the money,” said the boy. Confirming the development, Inspector Navin Pal Singh Lehal, SHO of the Phase XI police station, said they had rounded up the boy today.

“The boy’s trick was caught on the CCTV camera installed inside the ATM booth. He was rounded up after seeing the CCTV footage. As no formal complaint has been received in this regard, the boy was handed over to the family,” said the inspector. He said the bank authorities would be informed about the development tomorrow following which further action would be decided. The boy’s father runs a tempo.