Police Hunt Suspect Stealing Cards Under Guise of ATM Assistance

Some elderly individuals consider withdrawing money from ATM machines a challenging technical task, leading them to seek assistance from others during transactions. This vulnerability has created opportunities for certain fraudsters to engage in card fraud.

 The Sri Lanka Police are seeking public assistance to apprehend a suspected fraudster believed to be preying on individuals frequenting ATM machines across various parts of the island. These investigations are underway following a recent complaint regarding a two hundred thousand rupee fraud in the Kalutara South Police Division, where a person's bank card was cleverly swapped.

A complaint regarding this incident was filed on August 19, 2025, at the Kalutara South Police Station by a resident of Jayanthipura, Polonnaruwa. When the complainant went to withdraw money from an ATM belonging to a state bank in Kalutara town, the suspect offered to help him. Gaining trust, the suspect obtained the PIN and then very cleverly swapped the card with another before leaving the premises. Subsequent investigations revealed that the fraudster used the genuine card to withdraw Rs. 200,000.

During further investigations into this incident, police confirmed the suspect's connection to four similar fraudulent incidents previously reported within the Kalutara South and Wadduwa police divisions. Police suspect that he is an organized criminal who travels across the island, targeting individuals using ATM machines to carry out this racket.

To facilitate the identification of the suspect, the police have also released CCTV footage from the relevant bank premises to the media.

To prevent further such frauds, the police are appealing to the public for assistance in apprehending this suspect, and any information regarding the suspect can be immediately reported to the telephone numbers provided below.

Kalutara South Headquarters Chief Inspector: 071 – 8591691 Kalutara South Criminal Division OIC: 071 – 8594360

Video related to the incident click here