Senior citizen claims neighbour withheld ATM card to steal money

KUANTAN: A senior citizen who trusted his neighbour with an automatic teller machine (ATM) card to check his bank balance later found that his savings amounting to RM26,060 was allegedly withdrawn instead without permission.

Pahang Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) chief Supt Mohd Wazir Mohd Yusof said the victim, an 80-year-old settler, claimed to have handed over an ATM card to the female suspect in mid-February.

"The victim claimed the purpose was ...for the suspect to check his account balance as he found it difficult to go to town since he had no family members living nearby.

"The victim wanted to check his account balance after his nephew informed that compensation money from the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project had been banked into the victim's account," he said in a statement here today.

Wazir said the victim claimed the suspect did not return his ATM card since then and when his nephew returned to the village at the end of last July, a check with the bank showed 23 transactions of cash withdrawal.

"The victim's nephew tried talking to the suspect to return the money, but the suspect is said to have insisted that all the money she withdrew had been handed over to the victim," Wazir said.

He said the victim finally lodged a report at Jaya Gading Police Station here yesterday.

-- BERNAMA