Pen & paper denied,card fraud relied on memory

Rajesh Solaskar,alleged kingpin of a racket that allegedly duplicated and used other peoples credit cards,banked on past experience and a good memory to work around the security measures at the call centre where he worked,the Powai police said.

Rajesh Solaskar,alleged kingpin of a racket that allegedly duplicated and used other peoples credit cards,banked on past experience and a good memory to work around the security measures at the call centre where he worked,the Powai police said.

At call centres where work is outsourced by banks,employees are prevented from carrying writing material or even cellphones inside,police said. The main accused,Rajesh Solaskar,had worked in a couple of call centres earlier and was aware of the procedures. He would memorise names and numbers of the credit card holders and during breaks immediately dictate them to his accomplices,who would then pretend to be the holders and call for a change in phone number and address,and eventually report the card missing, said assistant police inspector S N Bhandge.

The Powai police have also informed vigilance officers at call centres used by banks of the way the arrested allegedly worked; the vigilance officers have in turn alerted their staff.The vigilance officers of the bank call centre asked the staff to be extra cautious whenever any account or credit card holder seek change in personal details or issuance of a new card, said Bhandge.

During the interrogation of Solaskar,police have learnt that he had allegedly committed similar fraud over a year ago. Police said they had informed the bank authorities about it. He reportedly stole data of three credit cards and used them. While he swiped two cards for Rs 50,000 each,he swiped the third for Rs 60,000, said a police officer.

All the eight suspects have been sent to the judicial custody and the police continue to be on the hunt for two absconding suspects,a shopkeeper at whose shop they had swiped the cards and a prostitute who had posed as a cardholder.

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