ES Reporter 

ITANAGAR, Sep 5:  In a significant breakthrough for law enforcement, the Itanagar Police has successfully apprehended a notorious serial thief responsible for a series of ATM-related crimes that have plagued the Itanagar Capital Region in recent months. The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Tabi Hilli, was taken into custody during a meticulously planned operation near Gandhi Market, opposite Heema Hospital, on the evening of September 3.
The arrest follows a comprehensive investigation into a spate of incidents involving damage to ATMs and fraudulent transactions. These criminal activities had raised concerns among local authorities and banking institutions, prompting a swift response from law enforcement.
Speaking to the media, Superintendent of Police ICR, Rohit Rajbir Singh informed that, on August 31 last, the Chief Manager (Operations) of the State Bank of India (SBI) in Itanagar filed a formal complaint with the Itanagar Police Department. The complaint detailed a series of repeated incidents involving damage to SBI ATMs and fraudulent transactions occurring across the Itanagar Capital Region over several months.
In response to the complaint, the Itanagar Police registered a case under Itanagar PS Case No.206/2023, invoking sections 380 (Theft) and 427 (Mischief causing damage) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in conjunction with Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act.
Taking swift action, a specialized team, led by Inspector K. Yangfo (OC PS Itanagar), was swiftly assembled to investigate the case. Their exhaustive efforts included a meticulous analysis of CCTV footage from the affected ATM locations, which ultimately led to the identification of a suspect.
The law enforcement executed a well-coordinated trap operation near Gandhi Market, successfully apprehending Tabi Hilli. Subsequent interrogation of the suspect yielded significant revelations regarding his modus operandi.
During the interrogation, Hilli confessed to his involvement in the crimes. His method involved inserting small pieces of stone or iron into the shutter assembly of ATMs, causing withdrawal attempts by customers to fail. While the money was deducted from customers' accounts, it became trapped in the assembly.
Once customers left the ATM booth, Hilli would enter promptly, remove the obstructions, and extract the trapped money using a specially crafted key. Further investigation uncovered that Hilli had been conducting these criminal activities since 2019, with over 100 attempted incidents, including 26 at the ATM of Zero Point, Itanagar. The cumulative value of currency notes stolen by the suspect exceeded 4 lakhs.
During the operation, law enforcement successfully recovered a stolen scooter linked to Hilli's criminal activities, informed SP(ICR).

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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