HYDERABAD: He had arrived in Hyderabad to learn about cybercrime. Within days, police say, he was standing at an ATM in Miyapur, quietly retrieving cash that customers believed they had failed to withdraw.
A Late-Night Arrest in Miyapur
Late on a Sunday night, officers from the Miyapur police station under the Cyberabad Commissionerate rushed to an ATM after receiving a Dial 100 call. According to the police, the alert led them to catch a man red-handed as he removed cash from the machine.
The suspect, later identified as Vadde Katamaiah, was taken into custody at the scene. Police officials said the arrest was swift, prompted by real-time information and a quick response by patrol teams in the area.
“This was not a сrime of chance,” said Y Srinivas Kumar, the Assistant Commissioner of Police for Miyapur. “We reached the spot immediately after the call and found him in the act.”
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Learning the Mechanics of the Machine
Investigators say Katamaiah had travelled from Andhra Pradesh to Hyderabad with the stated purpose of attending cybercrime-related courses. During that training, police allege, he became familiar with the technical features of ATMs operated by certain companies.
That knowledge, officers say, was later used to commit theft. According to the police account, Katamaiah learned how cash-dispensing mechanisms function and how minor obstructions could interfere with the final stage of a withdrawal.
How the Theft Was Carried Out
The method described by police was relatively simple but carefully timed. A small technical device was placed inside the ATM to block cash from emerging when a customer initiated a withdrawal. To the user, the transaction appeared to have failed.
“When the customer left, thinking the transaction had not gone through, the accused would remove the device and take the cash,” Srinivas Kumar said.
Police said the technique relied less on hacking software and more on understanding ATM hardware and user behavior—particularly the likelihood that a customer would leave quickly after an apparent error.
A Wider Network Under Scrutiny
Investigators believe Katamaiah may not have acted alone. Another accused, identified as Ramanjaneyulu, is currently absconding, according to the police. Efforts are under way to trace him and determine his role in the alleged thefts.
The police are also examining whether Katamaiah was involved in similar incidents elsewhere, either in Hyderabad or beyond. Officers said they are checking transaction logs, CCTV footage, and past complaints to establish whether the same technique was used at other locations.
