Examiner Bureau | Kulgam:
Police in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district have recovered the entire Rs 9.5 lakh allegedly stolen from a woman through an ATM card exchange fraud and arrested two women suspected of receiving the proceeds. The two alleged main accused remain absconding, police said.
The case has been registered as FIR No. 254/2026 under Sections 303(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station Qazigund.
According to police, the investigation was initiated after Muneera Reshi, wife of Gulzar Ahmad Shaan and a resident of Pati Akhran in Kulgam, lodged a complaint at Police Post Mir Bazar on October 15. She alleged that an unidentified person had fraudulently exchanged her ATM card at a machine in Mir Bazar on October 5, following which unauthorised transactions amounting to Rs 9.5 lakh were carried out from her bank account.
During the investigation, police identified the alleged main accused as Vinender Singh alias Sheenu, son of Roshan Lal, a resident of Kesan Colony, Ward No. 12, Barwala in Haryana’s Hisar district, and Mukesh Singh, son of Rajuram, a resident of Hansi in the same district.
Police said the identities and residential details of the suspects were established through CCTV footage, technical analysis and other investigative leads.
A team from Police Post Mir Bazar subsequently travelled to Haryana to trace the accused and verify their addresses. However, both men were found absconding, and their residences were reportedly locked. Efforts to locate and arrest them are continuing.
Police identified the two women arrested in connection with the alleged handling of the defrauded money as Shanti Devi, wife of Nathu Ram, a resident of Data Gurana in Hisar district, and Rajpati Devi, wife of Raj Kumar, a resident of Sorkhi in the same district.
According to police, Shanti Devi is the maternal uncle’s wife of accused Vinender Singh alias Sheenu, while Rajpati Devi is the maternal aunt of accused Mukesh Singh.
Investigators are examining the movement of the money and the alleged roles of those involved to establish the sequence of events and determine the extent of the alleged conspiracy.
Kulgam Police have appealed to the public to share credible information about the whereabouts of the two absconding suspects. Information can be provided to the nearest police station, Police Post Mir Bazar, Police Station Qazigund or the Police Control Room at 91 70515 10660. Police said information would be handled confidentially, subject to applicable law.
SSP Kulgam Anayat Ali Choudhary, IPS, has urged people to remain vigilant while using ATMs. Police have advised customers not to hand over their cards to strangers, disclose their PINs, one-time passwords or other banking credentials, or accept assistance from unknown persons at ATM kiosks.
Customers have also been advised to report suspicious activity and unauthorised transactions promptly to their banks and the police.
Further investigation and legal formalities are underway, police said.
