Date:07/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/07/stories/2008100755060500.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Attention diversion gang strikes

HYDERABAD: A gang of five members snatched away Rs. 7.64 lakh from a person after diverting his attention by throwing ‘dirt’ on his shirt during daytime at Khairatabad on Monday.

Suresh Babu of Tick Business Solutions Private Limited, which collects money pertaining to e-Seva transactions from different banks, withdrew Rs. 1.14 lakh from ING Vysya bank at Khairatabad around noon. After parking his two-wheeler in the bank building cellar, he proceeded to the ICICI bank branch located a few yards away. He withdrew Rs. 6.5 lakh from that bank, kept the amount in a bag and headed for the cellar on foot. Barely had he walked a few yards, a stranger approached him and said some dirt fell on his shirt.

“Apparently members of the attention diversion gang only threw it on his shirt. On seeing some dirt on the shirt, Babu stopped by a roadside sweet seller shop,” the Saifabad Inspector Sudarshan told reporters. Mr. Babu washed his shirt with water at the shop and was about to leave the place when the group of strangers surrounded him and lunged at him as if they were going to attack.

Mr. Babu tried to safeguard himself by jumping to a side and the in the process the cash bag fell on the ground. The robbers grabbed the bag and ran away before he could realise that they were offenders.

This is not the first time members of the attention diversion gang targeted customers coming to ICICI bank at Khairtabad. Earlier also, such gangs took away gold jewellery and huge sums from customers in the same manner.