Police launch manhunt for cash card fraud suspects

The police have launched a manhunt for two foreign nationals suspected of stealing large sums of money from Bank of Maldives (BML) accounts through ATMs.

A video showing the men using cash cards to withdraw money from an ATM at Velaanaage building was published on Tuesday.

The police said that the two men withdrew money on 17 and 18 October from BML ATMs across Male’. The amount stolen by them has not been revealed by the police.

The police have urged anyone who has information on the two men to come forward and contact police Hotline at 3322111, or their Economic Crime Department at 9790048, and assured to provide due protection to people who share information.

BML said today that only people who know the PIN numbers of cash cards would be able to withdraw money, and a third party would only know the PIN number of a card if the card owner provides that information.

BML said that people often give their PIN numbers to restaurant personnel when paying their bill, and urged to stop sharing PIN numbers with anyone, even family members.

BML said that those who act according to the terms they agree to when accepting the cash cards would not face such problems.