Pune: An unidentified man stole three mobile phones from the Mula Road area in Khadki, used them to pose as their owners, duped their contacts into transferring money on various pretexts, withdrew the cash from an ATM, and later returned the devices.The incidents occurred between April 10 and 12. A 49-year-old government hospital employee lodged a complaint with the Khadki police.Police sub-inspector Gajanan Gadekar said the accused contacted people from the victims’ contact lists and asked for small amounts. “So far, around Rs 20,000 has been siphoned off. We are verifying bank transactions,” he said.According to police, the complainant and two others live in the same locality. The thefts took place at night when the victims were either sleeping on terraces or had left their doors unsecured.The complainant realised her phone was missing the next morning and deactivated her SIM cards. Later, after reactivating the handset, she received calls from contacts inquiring about her mother’s health and confirming money transfers.Police said the handset was found outside her door on April 12. Similarly, another woman’s stolen phone was returned after the accused asked for money from her contacts. A 26-year-old man was also targeted using the same modus operandi.“The accused withdrew amounts ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 using cardless ATM transactions,” Gadekar said, adding that the suspect may be known to the victims as he was aware of their UPI details. “We are working on leads and expect a breakthrough soon.”
