The CMS Info System van was carrying cash from HDFC Bank's JP Nagar branch and was headed towards Lalbagh's Siddapura Gate..
Credit: Special Arrangement
Bengaluru: In a first-of-a-kind heist, a six-member gang looted Rs 7.11 crore from a cash van in southern Bengaluru on a busy Wednesday afternoon — one of the biggest robberies the city has ever seen.
Police said the gang arrived in a Grey Metallic Toyota Innova and intercepted a CMS Info System cash van near the Ashoka Pillar in Jayanagar between 12.30 pm and 1 pm.
CMS, a private firm, collects and transports cash for banks.
The van, carrying cash from HDFC Bank's JP Nagar branch, was headed towards Lalbagh's Siddapura Gate, according to a preliminary investigation report.
The Innova bore a registration number (KA 03 NC8052) belonging to a Maruti Suzuki Swift VDI, with 'Govt of India' embossed on its rear window in red bold capital letters.
The robbers introduced themselves as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials and told the four-member crew — driver Binod Kumar, cash custodian Aftab and armed guards Rajanna and Thammaiah — that they needed to inspect the vehicle and verify documents for transporting such a large amount of cash. The crew was asked to cooperate.
They then asked all crew members except the driver to get into the Innova, saying they would be taken to a police station. The driver was instructed to proceed alone to the Dairy Circle flyover — over 5 km away — and wait for them.
Before reaching the flyover, the three crew members were abruptly deboarded. The gang then caught up with the driver at the flyover, allegedly threatened him at gunpoint, transferred the cash boxes into the Innova and drove off.
"We suspect they chose that spot due to poor CCTV surveillance. They were last seen crossing a toll gate in Hoskote," a senior police officer told DH without giving details.
The Grey Metallic Toyota Innova used by the robbers to intercept and rob the cash van. It bore a registration number belonging to a Maruti Suzuki Swift VDI.
Credit: Special Arrangement
He added that investigators were examining why the armed guards complied with the robbers' instructions so easily. The van driver has also given "unconvincing" answers.
"We suspect this was all pre-planned. The robbers appear to have recced the van's movements, choosing the interception and escape points. This reeks of a well-planned heist because it is not easy to rob in a highly surveilled city like Bengaluru," the senior officer said, indicating that an inside job wasn't ruled out.
Police have detained all four crew members for questioning. An FIR has been registered.
Scene of crime (SOCO) officers and forensic analysts have scoured the van for clues and fingerprints. Police also believe a Maruti Suzuki Zen was used in the offence.
Speaking to reporters, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said a nakabandi was swiftly established across the city after the incident and multiple teams were working to track down the robbers.
"A few teams are physically on the ground, others are carrying out technical investigations. There was a delay in alerting the police, and the driver has given contradictory statements. All angles are being probed,” Singh added.