BENGALURU: A gang of unemployed men trapped in debt, mostly due to gambling, sought the help of a current Cash Management Services (CMS) staffer, a former CMS staffer and a police constable, who were also facing financial problems, to execute the biggest daylight heist in the city.
They had planned the heist for more than three months, making thorough preparations and avoiding all digital footprints during the post-crime movement of cash.
To ensure the plan succeeded, the gang conducted a recce and communicated in multiple languages to avoid attracting police attention.
However, a team of 200 police personnel cracked the case in 54 hours, arresting six accused and recovering Rs 6.29 crore of the Rs 7.11crore stolen. A search is continuing for three accused who are absconding.
The arrested accused have been identified as Gopi (36), a fleet manager with CMS; Xavier (35), a former CMS employee; Annappa Naik, a police constable attached to Govindapura police station in East Division; Ravi, son of an ex-serviceman and the alleged mastermind and operational team head, and his associates Naveen and Nelson. Ravi’s brother, who was also involved in the crime, is currently absconding.
Cash heist planned by accused to ‘settle their lives’
A source told TNIE that according to preliminary investigations, the six accused who posed as RBI officials and intercepted the vehicle were led by Ravi. Many of the accused belong to the same locality and had planned the heist in coordination with CMS staff and the police constable in an attempt to “settle their lives”. The group split into two units — a planning team and an operational team.
The source added that Xavier, who worked for seven years in various positions at CMS and left the job a year ago after an accident, was well aware of the company’s cash movement and security protocols. He is also suspected to have been involved in criminal activities previously.
Gopi provided the route map of the vehicle carrying the cash, details of its scheduled stops, number of staff on board, and amount of money being transported. Naik, Xavier’s close associate, assisted the gang with information on how to execute the crime and evade police. He handled the “training” aspect of the operation.
These three made a detailed plan for the heist. The gang finalised the robbery location about 15 days earlier, and conducted a recce to ensure smooth execution. After the robbery, they avoided using mobile phones, switched multiple vehicles, altered routes, and stopped only in CCTV shadow zones.
A source added that the call detail records, technical evidence, and the CCTV footage of vehicle movement helped the police crack the case swiftly.