Monday, October 28, 2024

Enhancing City Public Road Transport with Advanced Technology

 As an infrequent user of public transport, the inconveniences I experience during my travels inspired me to pen this article. Common issues such as long waits for buses, difficulty in finding seats, and overcrowded conditions make journeys tiresome. It's high time the government adopts a mix of advanced technologies like IoT (Internet of Things), AI (Artificial Intelligence), NFC (Near Field Communication), and Machine Learning to make daily commutes more comfortable.

Passenger Module


Intent to Travel: Passengers can use this module to inform the transport corporation of their travel plans (destination, number of people). The corporation will read the user's location and accordingly plan the fleet services and provide Bus registration number and expected arrival time. A partial amount will be withdrawn from the passenger's wallet to ensure accountability.

Bus Tracking module: The passenger's then can track the status of bus and plan their commute to bus stand accordingly.

Ready for Pickup: Upon reaching the bus stand, passengers should confirm their arrival through this module. The corporation will verify the passenger's location using IoT and provide a QR code ticket and bus registration number. At this point, half the fare will be deducted from the passenger's wallet.

Transport Corporation Module

Reservation Module: Upon receiving a request from the passenger through the Intent to Travel module, the corporation can use machine learning to prepare a fleet service chart. They can set a minimum number of passengers required for a bus to start from the base stand and fill passengers from subsequent stands. The algorithm should rework the chart in case of no-show passengers and alert the remaining passengers if necessary.

Passenger Alert Module: As the bus nears the stand, an AI agent should call the passengers to alert them to be ready to board.

Ticket Scanning Module: Conductors equipped with QR scanners will scan the ticket shown by passengers, and the bus fare will be deducted from the passenger's wallet. After a specific wait duration, the bus will depart. If any passenger misses the bus, they will be informed by AI agents. Machine learning will rework the chart via the reservation module and analyze passenger behavior to impose penalties for repeated no-shows.

Help Desk Module: There could be tourist who are new to city ,who may not have this app in their mobile, for such users they can approach the agent at the stand for assist.

Driver Health Module: This module will monitor drivers' time and distance driven and their vitals. Drivers will be replaced based on set health standards. Continuous inputs will be analyzed to implement any necessary course corrections for better driver health.

This is a preliminary attempt to define a system that addresses problems faced by both corporations and passengers using technology. There may be practical scenarios I missed, but the goal is to improve the public transport experience.

Do let me know your thoughts and if there are similar applications available elsewhere. I would be excited to see such technology adopted in my city, encouraging people like me to use public transport more often.

Sunday, November 12, 2023

A Proposal to BCCI, for the game of Cricket

This article has been cooking in my mind since India's remarkable Test series victory in Australia. A large and strong contingent of Indian cricketers played a famous and memorable Test series defeating the Australian team.The 20-21 series witnessed an injury plagued Indian team emerged victorious in a fiercely contested series, ultimately winning by score of 2-1.Numerous experts believed that Australia was defeated by what was considered to be India's B and C team.It. was during this period that a thought took shape in my mind.I hope I have not burned by over cooking thought process and you like my writing .

Cricket, as a sport, has witnessed significant evolution, adapting to multiple format that cater to different segments of cricket enthusiasts.While some nations with a history of producing champion teams are encountering difficulties in sustaining the game, others facing internal conflicts have managed to field teams that defeated cricketing powerhouses in world cups.


With its talented players and devoted fan base, Indian cricket has transformed into a prominent financial force. Such is its influence that it holds the ability to shape the future of the sport, and the individual brand value of its players can be utilized to advocate for and secure a spot in prestigious events like the Olympics. As a testament to this, the International Olympics Association has recognized the significance of cricket and intends to incorporate it into the 2028 edition of the Olympic Games.

The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has effectively capitalized on the game's popularity and financial potential, transforming Indian cricket into a lucrative enterprise. Not only does this benefit the BCCI itself, but it also generates substantial revenue for other cricket boards, players and cricket investors. The immense popularity of Indian cricket is evident from the packed stadiums and high broadcasting viewership whenever the Indian cricket team plays. Nevertheless, I believe that the BCCI has been fortunate in its success and still has much work to do to further develop the game within and outside of India. In this write-up, I would like to propose a few ideas for consideration. I welcome your comments and feedback on these suggestions.

Since the inception of the T20 World Cup in 2008, there has been a noticeable decline in the performance of some traditionally dominant cricket teams at the international level. This has led me to believe that teams can now be categorized into three tiers based on their quality. Shifting the focus to domestic cricket, the BCCI has been instrumental in organizing a significant number of matches. For instance, in the 22-23 season, around 1500 matches were played, and more than 1800 matches are planned for the 23-24 season across various categories including Men's, Women's,Under-25, and Under-19 matches (excluding IPL matches). However, despite this extensive domestic cricket structure, there exists a substantial gap in quality between teams like Mumbai and Assam, for example. This is an area where I believe the BCCI should intervene and support states and countries in cultivating and nurturing high-quality cricket sides.

Proposal 1: The Indian cricket team possesses a wealth of talent and depth within its player pool. To leverage this advantage, it is proposed that a season begins with three teams competing against each other. A point system would be employed and based on this , 3 proper balanced team will be formed (Team A, B and C).


A proposed structure entails Team A competing against Category A teams both at home and away, while Team B faces Category B teams in a similar manner. Team C engages in bilateral series against Category C teams in away fixtures but plays test matches in a bilateral and limited over matches in Tri/Quad series format at home. By implementing this series, cricket boards can address player burnout concerns, offer regular opportunities for other boards to face against competitive Indian team, and enhance the competitiveness of their own sides. Additionally, the BCCI can generate more revenue through this structure and allocate it towards game development. Moreover, players will benefit from increased opportunities to represent India, as more players can earn national caps and regularly participate in international cricket. This heightened competition among players ultimately contributes to their overall growth as well.

Proposal 2 : The BCCI currently operates only one high performance centre, the NCA in Bengaluru, relying on state and zonal camps to groom talented individuals. However, many Indian states with limited cricketing heritage find it challenging to assemble competitive teams for domestic tournaments. Players from these states must be then naturally blessed and lucky to be coached by passionate coaches to get attention and play for Nation. To address this disparity, it is crucial to implement periodic measures such as establishing additional high-performance centres. Priority should be given to states lacking adequate cricket infrastructure. Moreover, the BCCI should utilize its financial resources to establish sports-focused colleges that specialize in areas like sports medicine, nutrition, and skills development related to sports such as commentary, umpiring, and coaching.

Proposal 3 : There are 38 teams in the country ( I am of the opinion , we need to eliminate teams like Railways and Services as in yester year players took to sports to get jobs in these sectors which may not be the case going forward ) . We should replace these teams with 2 associate nations. BCCI conducts both red ball and White ball tournaments for Women , Men, age category, and college tournaments All major tournaments for Men , should be extended to the Women players. Ranji Trophy, which is the premier red ball tournament for Men, is currently played in Elite, Plate division format, which I believe, will only further the skill gap between the team, instead should follow the Syed Mushtaq Ali format of having 5 groups and teams within the group playing each other once , top 2 from each team qualifying for Knockout. A similar format should be adopted for  age group also.

Last year or before , I saw Mumbai team tour Oman and play them before their start of the domestic season, this should be adopted by all teams , wherein they go on foreign tours giving players exposure on foreign soil, which will not help boost the national base of players but help associate nations in their cricketing journey.

Proposal 4 : When reflecting on an exceptional cricket match, we often appreciate outstanding batting or bowling performances, but we tend to overlook the essence of a joyous crowd and the captivating voices of expert commentators, especially when watching on TV. Indian domestic cricket has long missed the vibrant atmosphere created by a live crowd and the magic woven by commentators. The BCCI should consider taking steps to bring back the excitement of the crowd. One way to engage the crowd is by waiving the entry fee for domestic matches. Taking inspiration from countries like New Zealand, where crowds are rewarded for catching sixes hit towards them, we should explore similar initiatives. For instance, lucky attendees of domestic matches could receive tickets for international matches, enjoy special experiences like lunch with superstar players, spend a day with Indian cricket team or receive signed memorabilia from them. Another suggestion to enhance the fan experience is to legalize in-ground betting. For example, spectators could contribute a small amount, like 5 rupees, which would be pooled together. Winners would then be chosen through a lucky draw, and the prize money would come from the collected pot. These ideas present a unique opportunity for fan engagement and adds to the overall excitement of the game. By implementing these ideas, the BCCI can create a more captivating and inclusive atmosphere for domestic cricket matches, reinvigorating the joy of being a part of the live crowd and heightening the overall experience for cricket enthusiasts. 

I am proposing these to BCCI, as an ardent fan of cricket.World cups , may be a good tournaments to popularize the game , but it is not enough for taking the game forward.I feel BCCI should grab the opportunity at hand , which  ECB and ACB missed in the past, to propel the game of cricket to new heights domestically and internationally.

Saturday, July 18, 2020

Time for e-Voting


“Every elections is determined by the people who show up “– Larry J Sabato

Elections is an important process in any democratic country. Right to Vote is an important right to given to any Indian who turns 18, which should be exercised. However we see from the voter turnout elections after elections is that this right is not fully utilized by all of us. There are many reasons to this.

In India, there are many types of elections. Indians vote in General elections to elect the Members of Parliament, in assembly elections, they elect the Members of State Legislative assembly, in Panchayat and City Corporation elections, the Panchayat and Corporation members are elected. There are also By-elections which is conducted if the earlier elected representative couldn’t continue for the term. With these many elections happening, the migrant community of Indians both inside and outside of India may not be in a position to travel back every time for exercising their right.

India witnessed one of the largest General elections in 2019, and with each passing elections, it is becoming bigger. An eye popping statistics below (credit Wikipedia)
  1.       Elections was conducted in 7 phases
  2.        911 million people were eligible
  3.        Overall voter turnout was 67 %, which was highest
  4.        Highest ever participation by women
  5.        A total of 3.96 million EVM in 1,035,918 polling stations was used
  6.        Approximately 270,000 paramilitary & 2 million state police personnel provided security for this mammoth polls

Despite such elaborate provisioning only 67 % voted. I belong to the 33 % of voters who didn’t exercise my right. I was outside India and couldn’t fly to vote. Many like me, who still respect the electoral system are left out of this festivity due to not having alternate provision.

A very few percentage of Indians have the options to cast their vote through postal system, which now being extended by an amendment of Election rules, 1961. This will allow, any citizen aged above 65 years and those infected with Coronavirus/suspected of having the infection can vote by postal ballot. State of Bihar, could see this amended rule being implemented, as otherwise they would need more booths and personnel to conduct a fair and social distancing adhering poll to ensure the safety of the people.

This news along with the news title “How Estonia’s digital society became a lifeline during COVID -19” took me back to year 2007, when I was in my final year of Engineering.

As part of degree, we are supposed to do a project showcasing our ability in engineering. I like many other graduates, approached a project centre for help. My project coordinator presented with a catalogue of ideas for the project, from which one idea caught my attention. “Online Voting using Fingerprint Sensor”, on enquiry I understood that apart from sensor nothing else relates to my field of specialization. I was somewhat fixed and couldn’t think of any other idea for doing the project. I, after couple of days thinking and convincing my project team and department staff went ahead with this idea. I was proud of the output and as a team we could successfully demonstrate the working model to the external supervisor to pass the degree. Like many ideas turned projects, this didn’t see any further light as I moved on with life, but to be honest every now and then I think of this.

After the success story of Estonia and current trend of seeing anything and everything being moved to digital platform, I see a ray of hope for my project and if this article could catch the attention of any influential think-tank or the election commission , I see myself voting from anywhere in the world for electing my representative to power.

By deploying such digital system, there are many advantages
  1.       Countries can gives its eligible citizens a chance to participate in the electoral process
  2.        Reduces the physical infrastructure required for conducting polling
  3.        Reduced timeline/phases for conducting polling
  4.        Reduced personnel and cost
  5.        Ensure free and fair elections

This system being digital has an eminent risk, which is the possibility of hacking by exploiting the flaws of the system, however this can be  overcome by tightening the system and even if such hacks happen, the possibility of identifying and re-conducting of polls can be done easily and quickly

My project was only built to be accessed from computer, which can be enhanced for mobile version. My project worked on the principle of recognising the finger print of the voter and displaying the candidates list of his/her constituency and recording the vote. All that is possible today, as Election commission can utilise the UIDAI database which is being used by the government for various other schemes. Any organisation, which employees more than 10 should make provision to allow their employees to cast their vote. Election commission with a period of time, can create confidence in the system and thereby allowing even individuals sitting at home vote, just like today how they are doing transactions in banks and ordering food. You still may not achieve 100 % turnout, but you give opportunity for citizen like me to exercise their rights.

Saturday, July 4, 2020

End of my dream...


Dear Mentor/Influencer/Friends,
“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” – Paulo Coelho

I joined Maveric in February 2008 as LIBA Trainee as part of LIBA 5 batch. Until that day, never did I think of doing a management course in a reputed institute like LIBA. That day brought a change in me, I started to dreaming logical dreams and Maveric has helped me in achieving all of it.  12 years and 3 months later, I look back with admiration the numerous opportunities that crafted my career from a LIBA Trainee to what I am today.

In this duration (dream), I was fortunate to be associated with Maveric’s who were passionate in whatever task they do, thereby making this a great place to work and grow. Lot of you have personally touched my life with positivity and care. With few simple words, I don’t believe I could express my feelings to them. I commit to them that; I would continue to find opportunities to spread the positivity and care in others’ lives.

The decision to wake up from this dream, had surprised many, who had known me closely. In the 3 months’ notice period, many had tried to talk me out of this decision, but I felt, this is the right time to wake up.

I am now getting prepared for another dream with the hope that it will be as sweet as this dream. I would like to thank, appreciate all my seniors, peers and juniors who have helped me live the dreams, allowing me to enjoy and stay for the period I wanted in those.

I would like to wish each one of you, ALL THE HAPPINESS in the world. I wish, MAVERIC a sustained, incremental growth in the years to come.


Signing off as an Employee of Maveric systems, with a promise to remain Maveric for Life…

Saturday, June 27, 2020

Wake up Call


Wake up Call 1: One of the first impression, you get when you go to any tier 1 city in India, is how congested it is. Ease of doing business, made many big companies of India choose these cities. These companies lobbied with the government for rolling out policies, which brought in allied industries to the same place. Government policies made more companies to opt for the same place. With each companies being opened, more and more people started migrating. These cities have reached a stage wherein life in these cities is choking, but people here don’t have much choice other than to live with it. Government on its part is trying to enhance the living conditions but I always feel these are temporary solutions. Many past events have exposed the structural problem of these cities but unlike Covid, they were not successful in breaking the resilience of the people. Covid, has brought these cities to standstill forcing the migrant workers to go back to their hometown. I feel, this is a golden situation for government to correct many of the past mistakes and even out the growth across cities, thereby reducing the burden on tier 1 cities in India. Today India has better infrastructure and capital which can be made available for companies to flourish from tier 2, 3 & 4 cities. Without touching the agricultural lands in India, government can make available lands for industries to cater to the demands of India and the world. I sincerely hope, industries wake up to utilize the opportunity being provided to have a sustained developmental growth.

Wake up Call 2: Everybody wants a good return on the money they spend. We would opt for a product/service if it is one rupee less. Chinese companies provided us products which was seen as value for money. China flooded markets including India first with products which didn’t have durability but was cheap. Upon capturing the markets, they quickly cemented their supremacy with their engineering capabilities. Quality products still at a cheaper rate are being provided by these Chinese players, which pushed local complacent players to the periphery in their own markets. Local players kept complaining and influencing government to hold on to the market without much focus on R&D to match the Chinese competition, but these didn’t have any effect, as Chinese players were able to provide product at cheap cost despite paying higher duties. Common people, who were not affected by disruption of their local industries preferred these Chinese products, as they were getting value for their money. The recent border dispute and unfortunate loss of our soldiers life, has brought in a change in mindset and there is an emotion prevalent across the country to boycott the Chinese products. Government, which is already faced with reverse migrations of people to the Hindi heartland, is seen to be taking steps to create employment by rolling out beneficial policies for Industries which wants to set up their units. Global companies which are having units in China are being wooed to move their business to India. The local players, who were sidelined have to grab this glimmer of an opportunity to produce goods in India which gives value for money being spend. It is easier said than done, as this is huge battle to be won against the superiors and capital rich Chinese companies. Government tough stand coupled with strong sentiments of the people should be the nitro-booster used by these companies to catch up with these companies. There wouldn’t be a better time than this.

Friday, June 19, 2020

My Covid Katha


This photo is of significance. This father and son photo was taken after me adhering to 14 days of room quarantine (not home quarantine), after I had to travel from Mumbai to Chennai.
I had to travel to Mumbai in the month of March for a short duration engagement. I was supposed to be back home well before my son’s 1st birthday, but supreme power had different ideas. Towards end of March, with covid cases increasing the government decided to impose lockdown across the country, forcing us all to be confined to our homes. I had an opportunity to travel back to Chennai, but I decided to stay put in Mumbai considering the risk of carrying the virus back. I didn’t expect the situation to worsen further and looking back the decision to not travel was a poor one.
As days passed, the count of people getting affected by the virus was exponentially increasing and Mumbai was leading the pack. This brought in lot of tension at home. I would be asked on a daily basis on the plan to come back, for which I didn’t have any answer. The frustration level at both side grew to an extent, I decided not to speak to my family members.
Government went about with its lockdown measures which along with the increasing cases had telling effect on the people of this country. People were desperate and tried whatever possible ways to go back to home and seeing those on TV was painful, least to say.I too tried few safe options like applying e-pass to travel by private car but couldn’t get the approval. Desperation from my family members were passed on to my relatives, who started contacting me , their opinion were also tried by me, but there was no improvement in my situation and I continued to be struck in Mumbai. I was in peace with myself and knew that I would have to wait for the lockdown to be lifted to join my family back.
As expected, government came up with measures to ease lockdown as we all started to accept the fact that, we have to live with the virus. Train services were announced but to my dismay, the trains were operated from Capital to selected cities. I had to continue staying in Mumbai and continue with the work, wait for further relaxation of travel. After a wait of 2 more weeks, government decision to allow flight travel brought much needed relief.
Covid cases were continuing to raise with newer highs being reached across the country. My managers cautioned and advised me to stay put in Mumbai and avoid travelling, but I was stern in my decision to travel back as I didn’t see Mumbai curbing the rise in the spread of infection. I through my office admin team, booked for an 11 am flight, as this allowed me time to be prepared for the new procedure to be followed at airport. 2 other roommates in my PG had also booked to travel their home town. There was a sense of relief and elation amongst us. Mine and another roommate’s elation though were short lived, as our flights got cancelled. I was not going to sit dejected, without wasting much time I booked for late evening flight for the same day. I slept a nervous sleep not knowing if this flight will also be cancelled. My fears, came true as this flight also got cancelled. Through my admin person, I understood that there was lack of patronage for Mumbai-Chennai route and airline operators were forced to cancel these flights.  What more could I do, I didn’t know. I informed my family about the flights being cancelled and went back to my work, I again went into radio silence , only person I communicated was my admin guy, whom I kept bothering to book the travel back to Chennai. Travelling from Mumbai to Chennai was now like travelling to any European state, with travel time being 17-18 hours and it was an overnight journey. I had to ensure that I don’t get infected during these travel and avoided such itineraries. Opening up of Hyderabad sector proved to be the turning point, as this route allowed me to Chennai with shorter time period. A nervous me, undertook the travel not knowing what more hurdles I would need to face. I took this travel by not informing my family, as I didn’t want to make them more desperate. All sign favoured me, and thanks to   Indigo airlines, the travel was safe and smooth.
There are plenty of stories filled with agony and in comparison, you may not see my katha to be no way closer to those stories, but let me remind you that I and my family had to undergo anxiety for no reason of ours. My intention with this blog is to re-iterate the commitment each one of us have towards the safety of our family and our society. Government is in unlock down phase, wherein they are allowing opening up of required workplaces with necessary safety measures.  They are also allowing religious institution to open. Like the decision taken by government to enforce lock down, these decisions are also being heavily criticised. Friends, there are people who violated the lock down decision and there are people who are staying in home and only venturing out when the need is of utmost importance when the government has relaxed the conditions. I have decided to adhere to the safety measures and request you, who is reading this to post to adhere also. This will help the government and medical people to protect us from this pandemic situation.
Better me, Better us  and together let us build a better living world.




Saturday, June 6, 2020

Who Mugged him?


“How Secure is contactless payment? 4 common misconceptions”– An article in money control. I read this article 3 day back and from that time, I have been itching to write this post.

Banks have robust systems which can track every single rupee being transacted using its systems. It has different department to take care to monitor it. Despite all this, you could be like my friend, who could lose money through the cards provided by the bank and find not much help from the bank in recovering the money. Yes, this post of mine is about the ordeal my friend underwent when he was mugged in Paris, France.  Yes! such petty crime does happen in an advanced society like Paris.

January 2020, would never be forgotten by my friend or me, as I was with him through this difficult time.

Paris was undergoing one of its worst transport strikes, thereby making our commutation difficult. We couldn’t go and visit many historical places and have a pleasant memory of this trip. We ended up with a bad memory. We had stayed close to 2 months in this place and we started craving for authentic south Indian food. We heard about this place which housed many famous restaurants from our state and decided to try. There were many good restaurants in this place and nothing much else to do, we decided to try these restaurants for the remaining weekends we had. The first Sunday it went well and we were relieved to have our style food. The disaster struck us in the next week, when we decided to hit this place on a Saturday afternoon. To reach this place, we had to change trains, these trains were being operated for limited time due to the strike. Owing to the strike and being a Saturday, there was a huge crowd in the transit station. My friend kept reminding me to be careful with the wallet. As the train halted at the station and after lot of people getting out, we along with the huge crowd tried our luck to board the train. After trying and realizing that it is difficult to board, we retracted, only for my friend to realize that he lost his purse.

Within minutes of he being robbed of his purse which had multiple credit & debit cards along with identity proofs, and we realizing what to be done, he started getting sms of money being withdrawn. We both started contacting the customer care numbers to block the card to avoid further activity on the card, but couldn’t get through as we were getting automatic response saying the numbers are not valid. By searching the internet and repetitive calls, we were only able to block 1 card and during this time, my friend had already lost close to 4.5 lakh INR(21000 AED plus 15000 INR). One Indian bank had put a temporary block after one withdrawal, we also got some time to successfully block the other cards due to greediness of the fraudster, who was trying bigger denominations. After multiple attempts we managed to block the cards.

All our excitement of the day turned into gloom and we decided to go back to our room and decide the next course of action. On our way back, we reluctantly called a client side person to seek suggestion, she advised us to register a police complaint.

We as common man, have apprehension in going to a police station, blame it on films and news we hear and see. With such apprehension, my friend visited the police station and had to experience a long queue to register the complaint. He understood that many in this queue were unfortunate people like him who were mugged at various metro stations. He also saw one Indian, still frantically trying the customer care number of his bank to block the cards, this guy had lost close to 10 lakh INR. My friend's experience with the police was good, wherein they took his complaint and help him with multiple copies of official documents, so that he could use it for substantiating his story with banks and government departments (he had lost government issued proofs also). Police also told him they will check with the metro station video feed and if they nab the culprit, they will call him and suggested him not to frequently visit the police station. The last statement, brought back the apprehension and when checked with client, our fear was substantiated. We were told that; this is the best you can expect from the police.

 Armed with the police provide documents, we contacted the banks from India and Abu Dhabi to register the fraud claim on the money swiped from the cards. Abu Dhabi bank, had a bot to guide us on registering the fraud and after that case was registered, the call was transferred to the customer care representative, who further advised us to email the soft copy of the police complaint along with the claim form which had details of transaction which we wanted to dispute. Bank from India had also advised us to follow the same steps.

 We are quality assurance professionals, who have worked for such bank project implementation and know what happens during such dispute process. With this knowledge, he waited for the banks to respond.

Bank from India (15k INR) were the first to respond positively and acknowledged the dispute. The money was returned to my friend. The bank from Abu Dhabi, took time and had to be followed up before they responded. There was no positive response from the bank and we couldn’t reach the right team to reverse this decision.

From the day of response till mid of march, my friend had to run from pillar to post to make the Abu Dhabi bank to reconsider his case and reverse the decision. In meantime he had to arrange for the money and pay the bank to avoid penal charge amount. Our manager in Abu Dhabi was also helpless, as bank didn’t entertain the complaint from him and wanted my friend to visit the branch and lodge the complaint. After lot of explanation and follow up, bank finally relented to refer the cases to VISA, this gave my friend a ray of hope. VISA also took time to investigate the case, but didn’t give a positive response. Bank has also categorically refused to further investigate the case.

The reason given by bank and VISA is that, the transaction had happened by entering the PIN and hence the claim for dispute can’t be entertained. The fraudster, we believe had sophisticated simulators which helped him crack the PIN and withdraw the amount from multiple shop POS machines, which otherwise is impossible.

My friend during this time also tried to get help from French police to recover the money. He gave evidences of the Shop and the location (We googled with details in SMS to locate the shop) and requested them to investigate. To his disappointment, he was told by police that, they can’t investigate anything as there was no video evidence maintained in the Metro station and can’t go to these shops (which were in 1 km radius of this station), instead he was again given copies of same set of documents and asked to follow up with the bank.
Friends, I am not writing this to earn sympathy for my friend who has and is undergoing hard time in paying back the amount, but to warn you about the ordeal you could undergo in similar situation. After reading this post, who do you think mugged him, is it the fraudster, or the police or the banks. Banking systems are designed to prevent frauds and help people banking with them to safeguard the money.