Bihar’s Purnea police have exposed the double life of a hospital operator who couldn’t shake off his ATM theft addiction. Mohammad Imtiaz, running a private clinic in Line Bazar, was nabbed in Gulabbagh for masterfully switching a victim’s ATM card during a withdrawal attempt.
Eyewitnesses detailed how the scam played out: A customer struggled with a pin error at the ATM. Imtiaz, lurking nearby, suggested flipping the card and handled it himself, adroitly replacing it with a fake in another machine. The rejection prompted intervention from a vigilant bystander who retrieved the real card and rallied locals, resulting in Imtiaz’s public beating until cops intervened.
Raids yielded a stash of bank ATM cards, pointing to repeated offenses. Though previously imprisoned, Imtiaz amassed riches from fraud, channeling them into an unlicensed hospital staffed by hired doctors. Operating via informal networks like rickshaw pullers and health workers, it thrives financially, yet he ventures back to crime sporadically.
His cunning, honed over years despite minimal schooling, built an empire, but luck ran out this time. Post-arrest medical formalities at Purnea Medical College saw him lash out at reporters, strutting freely in cuffs ahead of his escort—unlike shackled co-accused.
Sadar station chief Ajay Kumar stated Imtiaz faces charges for ATM tampering, now in judicial remand. The episode highlights persistent recidivism in petty crime, urging enhanced ATM security and community watchfulness to curb such sophisticated street-level cons.