ATM Cards Trapped, Bank Accounts Drained: Lahore Police Bust Alleged Fraud Gang

اردو Home Latest News National Crime Opinions The Other Side Home Latest News National Crime Opinions The Other Side No Result View All Result No Result View All Result اردو Latest National Crime Opinions The Other Side-Pakistan Home Crime ATM Cards Trapped, Bank Accounts Drained: Lahore Police Bust Alleged Fraud Gang by MM News Staff October 7, 2026 Reading Time: 2 mins read File photo

LAHORE: Police have uncovered an alleged three-member gang accused of manipulating ATM machines to defraud citizens and subsequently withdrawing money from their bank accounts.

According to police, the suspects allegedly tampered with an ATM system to deceive customers and exploit situations in which their bank cards became stuck inside the machine.

The incident came to light at an ATM of a bank in Lahore’s Wahdat Colony, where an elderly woman arrived to withdraw cash. Police said three men were already present around the ATM booth, with one inside the booth and two others outside.

According to investigators, the man inside the booth created the impression that his bank card had become stuck in the ATM. His alleged accomplices then acted as though they were unaware of the situation, allowing the elderly woman to use the machine.

When the woman attempted to withdraw cash, her card was not returned by the ATM. After waiting for some time, she left without her card. However, before she reached home, she received a notification that money had been withdrawn from her bank account.

During the investigation, police traced the suspects to Chiniot and arrested an alleged three-member group. According to police, two of the arrested suspects are brothers.

Police said preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects may have carried out more than a dozen ATM-related fraud incidents over the past year, with elderly citizens allegedly being their primary targets.

Investigators said the suspects allegedly tampered with a technical component of the ATM, causing the machine to take around 10 minutes to return to normal operation. During this period, customers’ cards could become trapped inside the machine, which the suspects allegedly exploited to gain access to the cards and withdraw money.

Police have initiated legal proceedings against the arrested suspects, while further investigations are underway to determine whether they were involved in additional incidents and whether other individuals were part of the alleged network.