MUSCAT, 22 March 2004 — Oman has foiled a sophisticated attempt by a gang of six Malaysians to steal money from ATMs in Muscat.
Abdullah ibn Ali Al-Harthy, the director of public relations in the Royal Oman Police, said today that the gang confessed to committing a similar crime in a neighboring country, believed to be the United Arab Emirates.
“We foiled the attempt within an hour of a tip-off from a citizen,” he said, adding the electronic equipment used was highly advanced. The men were arrested from a city hotel. He cautioned the public to be extra watchful while using ATMs and report to the bank if they find any device attached to the machine.
Venkat Raman, deputy general manager of Oman Arab Bank, told Arab News that this was the first crime of its kind in Oman and has sent shockwaves through the banking industry. “One has to admire the ingenuity of this highly trained group,” he added.
He said BankMuscat, the Sultanate’s largest, was the first to lodge a complaint with the Central Bank and the ROP after a member of staff discovered a gadget attached the ATM in his branch.
He said the accused collected the pin numbers and other secret details of some 300 ATM card holders. “Their target was 500 before they started drawing money.
He said most of the cards belong to BankMuscat, followed by National Bank of Oman, BankDhofar and Oman Arab Bank.
Raman said a similar crime was committed in the UAE last year.
