Bengaluru: In a major development, Bengaluru Police have arrested three persons and recovered Rs 5.76 crore in connection with the Rs 7.11 crore daring daylight heist reported in the city on November 19.
The incident raised serious concerns about safety and the law and order situation in the state.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh announced the arrests at a press conference on Saturday. He stated that the probe is ongoing, with multiple teams conducting field investigations in neighbouring states.
Providing details of the case, the Commissioner said, “Thirty-eight individuals were interrogated, and among them, three persons have been arrested. The main accused is the vehicle in charge of the CMS cash refill van, another is a former employee of the same CMS company, and the third accused is attached to the police department and works as a constable at the Govindarajanagara police station in Bengaluru.”
“Today, legal formalities will be completed, and they will be taken into police custody,” he added.
“The three accused operated without leaving any trace of clues. Despite this, our personnel identified them using CCTV footage, technology, inputs from locals, and other methods. So far, Rs 5.76 crore has been recovered, and we are receiving information about the remaining amount,” he said.
“In total, a gang of six to seven persons is involved in the heist, and we have arrested three of them,” he stated.
He further said, “The investigation is continuing, and more details are likely to emerge. An Innova vehicle was tracked on the outskirts of Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh. Photos and videos of the vehicle were circulated. The registration number was fake, but our teams still managed to track their movements.”
“The recovered amount of Rs 5.76 crore was located in a specific place on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The search is on for more conspirators and possible insider involvement. We have obtained strong technical and forensic evidence,” he noted.
“Our police teams worked tirelessly. They went everywhere and put in substantial effort after the incident occurred, but initially, they could not trace the money or the accused. This case posed several challenges. The gang moved through areas without CCTV coverage and did not use mobile phones,” he said.
“The robbers communicated internally without raising suspicion. The bank and CMS staff did not provide much information, making the probe challenging,” he added.
“Despite all the challenges, from November 19 until now, two Joint Commissioners and 11 teams—including ACPs, inspectors, and about 200 personnel—worked continuously for two to three days. Teams visited Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Goa. They did a commendable job,” he said.
“The teams are still on the ground. As of now, Rs 5.76 crore out of the total Rs 7.11 crore has been recovered. The remaining amount is yet to be traced. We will ensure conviction in this case, as it has been highly challenging. The amount involved is huge, and no such incident has previously occurred within Bengaluru city limits,” he stated.
“The accused had planned the heist for three months. A recce of the area was conducted for 15 days. They chose routes without CCTV coverage and with shadow zones. Several lapses in the CMS company were also found. RBI guidelines were not followed,” the Police Commissioner said.
It may be recalled that the robbery took place in broad daylight in Bengaluru on Wednesday, where a gang looted Rs 7.11 crore from a vehicle that was transporting cash for ATM refilling.
The staff of the cash refill vehicle informed the authorities late after the incident, raising doubts. Questions are being asked about why the gunmen present did not use their weapons. All these angles were being thoroughly investigated.
(IANS)
