Past arms trafficking cases from Madhya Pradesh, MIDC also resurface
Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
The busting of a woman-led ATM theft racket by Cidco police has once again spotlighted the growing footprint of interstate criminals in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, with multiple past incidents indicating a steady influx of illegal arms and crime operatives from other states.
In the latest case, the Cidco police arrested five people, including two from Haryana, for running a well-planned ATM card swapping racket. The main accused, Shabana Khan of Harsul, used to call criminals from her husband’s native village in Haryana to the city for the operations. Her accomplices include Naseem Khan and Taufiq Khan (both from Haryana), and Irfan Shaikh and Sameer Shaikh from Misarwadi who assisted as rickshaw drivers and local facilitators.The court has remanded all five accused to four days of police custody for further investigation on Monday. The case came to light after a youth, Sushant Doiphode, was duped of Rs 9,000 at a CDM machine in Jijau Chowk on June 29, following which similar cases emerged across Cidco. A rickshaw with number (MH-20-EF-8830) was found to be commonly used in the crimes. After scanning over 40 vehicles, police tracked and nabbed Sameer Shaikh, leading to the gang’s arrest. The accused used to stay in the city for 15 days, scout ATM centers, create disturbances while customers were withdrawing money, observe PINs, and then swap cards. They would later withdraw money using the stolen cards at nearby centers. Over 100 citizens are suspected to have fallen prey to this tactic. Police seized a shocking 96 ATM cards from Shabana’s possession alone.
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POCSO angle in ATM mastermind’s past
Shabana is also an accused in a POCSO case registered by the Chhavani police. She and her husband allegedly arranged the marriage of a 16-year-old girl in Rajasthan in exchange for money.
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Past incidents rising interstate threat
• September 21, 2015: A father-son duo from Dhar, MP was arrested for illegally manufacturing firearms meant for Maharashtra’s land and sand mafias. Four weapons were seized. The Aurangabad crime branch team faced a mob attack and a 30-km chase during the arrest.
• April 28, 2017: Three men were held near MIDC Waluj with a country-made firearm. They were linked to an interstate arms supply network.