Thiruvananthapuram, Aug. 9: Kerala police are on the trail of three Romanians suspected to have siphoned off around Rs 4.5 lakh from the accounts of customers after stealing their card details using spy cameras at an ATM here.

CCTV grabs from the State Bank of India ATM in Vellayambalam, a stone's from the Raj Bhavan, show the suspects walking in and attaching spy cameras to the smoke alarms - just above the ATM and a cash deposit machine - to read debit and credit cards inserted by unwary customers.

The trio are now believed to have moved to Mumbai where they have withdrawn money from about 30 accounts after making duplicate cards with the help of the stolen information. Police said the withdrawals, some from ATMs in Colaba, ranged from Rs 7,000 to Rs 45,000.

Around 20 customers have complained about having lost money so far. But the police fear the number could rise and suspect the trio to be part of a network of high-tech financial frauds who helped make the duplicate cards.

The suspects had arrived in the Kerala capital in the last week of June in the guise of tourists and stayed at a luxury hotel, the police said, citing their passport details collected from the hospitality chain and CCTV footage that matched those at the ATM.

Two bikes believed to have been used by them during their stay have been seized from Kovalam, the beach destination popular with backpackers.

Officers declined to divulge the trio's names, saying it could hamper the probe.

The three are still believed to be in Mumbai and lookout notices have been issued to stop them from fleeing India.

Additional director-general of police B. Sandhya said the Interpol's help could be sought to nab the culprits. A special team of sleuths and tech experts is probing the case.