An unidentified woman allegedly followed a garment factory employee from an ATM kiosk and escaped with cash, an ATM card and an Aadhaar card in an attention-diversion theft reported in Madanayakanahalli on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
The victim, identified as Latha (47), a resident of Dasanapura, had visited an ATM around 7 pm on Thursday to withdraw money. Since she was unfamiliar with operating the machine, she reportedly sought help from a woman who was already present inside the kiosk.
According to police, the suspect assisted Latha in withdrawing Rs 10,000 and returned the money along with the ATM card. After completing the transaction, Latha went to a nearby shop to buy groceries and later boarded an autorickshaw to return home.
However, due to heavy traffic congestion, she reportedly got down from the auto and began walking towards her residence. It was then that she noticed the same woman from the ATM following her.
Police said the suspect approached Latha under the pretext of asking for directions to Lakshmipura and allegedly insisted that she accompany her for some distance. When Latha refused, the woman reportedly made a phone call and continued speaking loudly in the Uttara Kannada dialect, diverting her attention.
During the distraction, the accused allegedly escaped with Latha’s purse containing Rs 10,000 cash, a debit card and her Aadhaar card.
Based on the complaint, Madanayakanahalli police have registered a case and are examining CCTV footage from the ATM kiosk and nearby areas to identify and trace the accused.