Cuttack: The Odisha High Court has directed the state government to discuss with the bank authorities and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) about installing 'facial biometric identification systems' at the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) so as to help investigating agencies to retrieve identities of miscreants who conceal their faces while using the facilities for illegal purposes.
The bench of Justice Sangam Kumar Sahu and Justice Chittaranjan Das heard the habeas corpus petition filed by the family of a minor girl who was allegedly kidnapped in Odisha's Bhadrak district under the jurisdiction of Pirhat police station. The girl's father filed a complaint of kidnapping and a case was registered under Section 363 of the IPC.
But, since the police failed to trace the girl, her father filed a petition before the High Court to rescue the girl. Following the High Court's directive, the investigating officer informed about the current status of investigation. The investigating officer told court that he had asked the accused's mother whether she has a bank account in her name to which she denied. But later it was found that she possessed a bank account along with an ATM card that has used recently by someone in Kendrapara district.
The investigating officer sought information about the person who withdrew money using the ATM card of the accused's mother. The CCTV footage revealed that a face covering his face and wearing a cap had withdrawn money from the ATM in Kendrapara. But, the man's identity could neither be ascertained by the bank nor the investigating officers.
