Chikkaballapur: In a swift operation, Chikkaballapur town police have arrested a 20-year-old fraudster who used a special device to steal cash from unsuspecting ATM users. The accused, identified as Niyazuddin, was involved in a cunning heist that occurred at a Canara Bank ATM on BB Road.

According to police, the incident took place on the night of April 11. The accused had installed a custom-made device at the ATM’s cash dispensing slot. When customers tried to withdraw money, the currency notes would get trapped inside the device in-stead of being dispensed. Believing the machine had malfunctioned, customers would leave without receiving their cash, allowing the accused to later return and retrieve the trapped money. An estimated ₹2 lakh was stolen in this manner, officials said. Following the incident, Chikkaballapur police registered a case and formed a special team to investigate. Based on technical evidence, they tracked the accused to Bengaluru, where he had gone into hiding. Niyazuddin, a native of Tripura, was arrested by the police team.

During interrogation, he confessed to being involved in a similar case previously. Po-lice recovered ₹15,000 in cash from him. Further investigation is underway to deter-mine the extent of his operations and whether others were involved. Police have ad-vised the public to immediately report any failed cash withdrawals or suspicious activity at ATMs to the bank’s helpline or the nearest police station.