Mumbai Police on Monday said that it has arrested a notorious fraudster from the city airport for allegedly swapping ATM cards and cheating people.
The accused had been allegedly cheating people at ATM centres by swapping their cards while pretending to offer help, an official said, adding that the arrest was made by the Kandivali Police.
The police said that the accused used a WagonR car to visit ATM centres and wore a helmet to hide his identity. On the pretext of assisting customers, he would cleverly exchange their ATM cards and later withdraw money from other ATMs.
Investigations revealed that several similar cases have been registered against him in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and other districts and states.
The arrested man has been identified as Syed Kalamuddin Khan (35), a tours and travels driver and a resident of Yadav Mistry Chawl, Khairani Road, Sakinaka, Andheri East. Police recovered Rs 6,900 in cash from his possession.
Incident at Kandivali ATM
According to police, the incident took place on 13 January 2026 between 12.35 pm and 12.55 pm at a Bank of Baroda ATM on S.V. Road, Kandivali West.
The complainant was setting the PIN for his ATM card when the accused distracted him and secretly swapped the card. The accused later withdrew Rs 50,000 from another ATM, causing financial loss to the victim.
Suspect booked
Based on the complaint, Kandivali Police registered a case under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on the same day.
During the investigation, police examined CCTV footage from the ATM and nearby government and private establishments. This helped them identify the accused and verify his criminal background.
Police then kept watch on his movements. Acting on a tip-off from a confidential informant, the accused was detained from Mumbai Airport in the early hours of 30 January.
Three-day surveillance led to arrest
A police team visited the accused’s residence in Sakinaka but found it locked. Officers in plain clothes kept the house under surveillance for three days.
During this period, police received information that the accused had travelled to his native village in Uttar Pradesh and was returning to Mumbai on a flight from Varanasi. The police team tracked the flight details and arrested him as soon as he landed, an officer said.
Investigations underway
The action was taken under the guidance of Senior Inspector Karan Sonkawade. The team was led by PSI Nitin Satam, along with police personnel Pravin Jopale, Rajendra Gautam, Swapnil Jogalpure, Sudhir Nadkar, and Pravin Waghmare. Special assistance was provided by the Crime Detection Team of Dadar Police Station, led by API Ram Sagade.
The accused has been remanded to police custody till February 2, 2026.
Further investigation is underway to find out whether he was involved in similar ATM fraud cases in other places.
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