Pubali Bank ATM fraudsters are foreigners, police say

The fraudsters who stole nearly Tk 1 million from three ATMs of Pubali Bank in Chattogram and Cumilla earlier this week are foreigners, police believe.

Foreigners had earlier been caught in a Dhaka ATM heist investigation.

In the latest incident, the thieves stole Tk 334,000 from Pubali Bank’s Chattogram College Road branch booth between 6pm and 7pm on Nov 17 and then Tk 310,000 from the ATM on Sheikh Mujib Road at Double Mooring between 8:30pm and 9:30pm the same day.

The news of a similar heist of Tk 330,000 at the bank’s ATM in Cumilla’s Kandirpar broke later. Police initially said the heist in Cumilla occurred around 8:45pm on Nov 17, but later confirmed it happened around 6pm on Nov 16.

Police have published photos of two suspects from security cameras of the ATM booths and urged all to identify the duo.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police is also investigating the heist after the bank initiated three cases.

Shahidur Rahman, an additional deputy commissioner at the DMP’s Detective Branch, told bdnews24.com on Thursday that the same duo were involved in all three heists in Chattogram and Cumilla.

The suspects appear to be foreigners and experts in automated teller machines or ATMs, according to Shahidur.

“They opened up the machines and set up a device without any complications and then left after drawing the money,” he said.

“And they did not care to use mask or cover their faces despite the presence of the security camera. They had no fear,” the police detective said, explaining his suspicion that the suspects are foreigners.

“They did not try to hide themselves because they would leave the country fast,” he added.

In June, police arrested six Ukraine nationals for allegedly hacking into an ATM of a private bank using digital forgery to withdraw money from it in Dhaka.

Shahidur said the incidents in Dhaka, Chattogram and Cumilla have similarities.