ATM card duping racket in Byndoor: People offer help at kiosks, return duplicate card to customers
Byndoor: A duping racket involving the theft of ATM cards under the pretext of helping came to light under the Byndoor Police Station limits on Tuesday, where the miscreants took the original ATM card and drew the cash for the customer, but returned a duplicate card.
Three separate cases have been registered at the Byndoor Police Station based on the complaints filed by people who were cheated of their ATM cards by members of the duping web.
Chaitra, a resident of Shiroor had gone on Tuesday morning to draw money from a Canara Bank ATM situated near the Shiroor market, Balkis Banu, who had visited the Shiroor Urban Bank ATM, and Chandrashekhar, a resident of Salvadi village who went to the State Bank of India ATM in Byndoor, complained to the police, narrating to the officers their experiences at the kiosks.
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As Chaitra, Balkis Banu and Chandrashekhar were unable to draw money from their respective ATMs, each of them was offered help by another customer inside the kiosk. Taking the card, the second customer also attempted to draw cash and, saying he too was unable to draw money, returned the card to the owner, before leaving the kiosk.
In each of the three cases, however, the card owner realized a little later that the second customer had returned a duplicate in place of the original card. Much to their horror, the complainants, on inquiring at the bank, found that money had been drawn from their respective accounts. Chaitra had lost Rs 21,000, Balkis Banu lost Rs 5,000 and Chandrashekhar found that Rs 2 lakh had been drawn from his account.
Byndoor Police, who are investigating the matter, said that the complainants informed them that the fraudsters spoke to them in Hindi, which gave rise to the suspicion that the criminals were from outside Karnataka. The investigation is being conducted taking into consideration the possibility of a crime racket by non-Kannadigas, the police added.
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Over 300 students from govt schools in Punjab qualify JEE Mains 2026: Education minister
Chandigarh (PTI): Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Saturday said 305 students from government schools qualified in their first attempt of the joint entrance examination (JEE) Mains 2026.
This number reflects an increase of 63 per cent from last year's 187 successful candidates, he said describing the achievement as a defining moment for the state's school education system.
Bains shared that five students from his constituency Sri Anandpur Sahib also cracked the prestigious examination.
He announced that the government will organise a special three-week residential training camp to prepare the qualified students for JEE Advance, ensuring they receive focused guidance for the next stage.
"This feat marks a moment of immense pride for our entire school education department. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all our dedicated teachers. The recent JEE Mains Phase 1 results showcased an outstanding performance by the Punjab government schools, with 305 students cracking the competitive engineering exam," Bains said.
This feat represents a remarkable 63 per cent increase from last year's 187 qualifiers, he said.
"Achieving such a significant milestone in just one year is a testament to the transformative power of our Punjab 'Sikhya Kranti' initiative. We are committed to further accelerating our progress," the state education minister said.
He also shared that Bhavishya, a Class 12 non-medical student from the School of Eminence in Amritsar secured an impressive 98.182 percentile.
His father runs a mobile repair shop and his mother works as a tailor.
"Despite financial constraints, his determination to pursue engineering and uplift his family remained unshaken. With strong school support and disciplined preparation, he achieved outstanding success," he said.
He further informed that Dilkhush Jha, a government school student from Bathinda, scored 95.091 percentile in JEE Mains.
With his father being a labourer and mother a homemaker, and an annual family income of Rs 1.2 lakh, he relied on self-study.
Similarly, Priyanka Sharma, a science student from the School of Eminence, Sangrur, secured a 96.44 percentile in JEE Mains while simultaneously preparing for NEET.
Bains said no other state government has matched this scale of achievement in government schools.
He congratulated all 305 students and their parents, and thanked the teachers for making what he described as a historic day for Punjab's government school system.
