JOIN USThe City police on Saturday claimed to have cracked the Rs 65-lakh robbery of cash, belonging to Union Bank of India and meant for ATMs, by arresting five men, including the security guard of the cash van.
A total of Rs 55,52,500 has been recovered from the arrested.
On October 4, a six-member team of Premiere Shield Private Limited, the security agency to which the Bank had outsourced its ATM money-filling operation, was proceeding towards Bannerghatta Road via Nice Road after loading cash into the ATMs at Coles Park, Madivala and Electronics City.
A gang of six men followed the cash van, attacked the van as it came to a halt, smashed the window of the vehicle, threw chilli powder at the personnel and fled with the cash boxes in seconds, making away with Rs 65.5 lakh. Two of the six personnel in the vehicle escaped after the robbery.
The police took the remaining four into custody and based on the information provided by them, tracked the two absconding personnel and their three accomplices in the crime.
The arrested are: Ajith, 24, an accountant with the private security agency, Jagadish, 24, a security guard (both of whom were in the cash van), Arthesh, 22, a worker at a bar, Manjunath, an engineering dropout, and Nagaraj, 35.
Police said three more involved in the robbery were at large and a manhunt had been launched to nab them.
Investigations revealed that Ajith and Jagadish hatched a conspiracy to loot the money. According to the plan, Ajit asked the cash van driver to slow down the vehicle at a secluded spot on Nice Road as he wanted to answer the call of nature.
As the driver brought the vehicle to a halt, six men, who were following the vehicle, executed the robbery plan with Jagadish threatening the other staff in the van.
A car used for the crime has been seized.