Rs 7 crore Bengaluru heist case: Police constable, 2 others arrested

The sensational Rs 7.11 crore ATM cash van robbery case in Bengaluru has been cracked with the arrest of three persons, including a police constable.

The arrests came after a manhunt involving over 200 personnel, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said at a press conference on Saturday (November 22).

More than 30 people questioned

Briefing reporters on the heist where a gang posing as RBI officials decamped with the money, Singh said Rs 5.76 crore has been recovered so far and efforts are on to trace the remaining amount.

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"We had formed eleven teams and deployed 200 police officers and personnel for the job. More than 30 people were interrogated and three have been arrested. They are vehicle the in-charge, ex-employee of CMS Infosystems and a police constable posted in Govindapura police station. After legal formalities, we will them into police custody," Singh said.

Six teams were sent to all Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana and Goa to track the criminals involved, he added.

Those arrested are constable Annappa Naik, former employee of CMS Info System, Xavier and vehicle in-charge Gopi.

Three-month plan

According to the official, the gang had planned the robbery for three months. They surveyed the cash van's route and chose a stretch without CCTV cameras.

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On November 19, unidentified men allegedly posing as RBI officials intercepted an ATM cash van in Bengaluru and decamped with over Rs 7 crore, said to be perhaps the biggest heist at least in the city.

The incident occurred when the vehicle belonging to CMS Info Systems was transporting cash from a private bank branch in JP Nagar in the city.

The criminals arrived in a car with a Government of India sticker, intercepted the van claiming they needed to verify documents, and forced the staff into their vehicle along with the cash.

They later dropped the staff near Dairy Circle and fled with the money.

Arrested within 54 hours

Lauding the police team that cracked the sensational robbery, Singh said the three accused were identified and detained within 54 hours. Rs 5.76 crore was recovered within 60 hours and a vehicle used in the crime was traced and seized.

The gang is estimated to consist of around six to eight persons, spread across planning, execution and post-crime movement of cash, he added.

Singh also said that by the end of the first 24 hours, accused persons and the vehicles used were identified through specific inputs, which led to their arrest.

A hunt is on to trace others, he added.