The two used to get data about NRI customers from their international accomplices, manufacture debit cards in the victims’ names, and shop.
Officers of the Mumbai Crime Branch on Tuesday busted an international debit card fraud, with the arrests of two people from Kandivli.
The two used to get data about NRI customers from their international accomplices, manufacture debit cards in the victims’ names, and shop.
The arrested duo has been identified as Shreyas Kothadia, 30, and his brother-in-law Parag Parab, 30, both residents of Mira Road. Kothadia is Std X dropout with a knack for computer operations, while Parab is a diploma holder from a reputed catering college in Dadar. They have a criminal background.
According to joint police commissioner, crime, Himanshu Roy, debit card companies approached the police. They suspected some sort of a fraud, wherein transactions were being carried out using their debit cards, but the card holders were overseas.
The Kandivli unit of the crime branch, comprising inspectors Raghunath Dalvi, Mahesh Tawre, Sanjeev Gawde and Allhaad Gaikwad, was given the task of investigating the case. “A trap was laid on receiving specific information that the duo would be coming near Inorbit Mall in Malad, and they were arrested,” said Roy, adding that the two have been remanded in police custody till March 29.
Speaking about the gang’s modus operandi, he said “Kothadia used to get details of debit card holders from his international contacts. He would upload the data on blank cards. He would manufacture them with the help of a Polaroid card printer.”
He further said that the duo used to purchase blank debit cards from a Panvel shop. “They had a Magnetic Software Recognition Writer, which is not available in the country because of security implications. With the help of this writer, they would embed the code number of a customer on a card’s magnetic strip,” he said. Interestingly, all debit card holders were in the US when the transactions were carried out.
“The duo would procure bogus driving licences, which were used to obtain PAN cards bearing Kothadia’s photo. They would use this PAN card during a transaction,” said deputy commissioner Nisar Tamboli.
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