BENGALURU: When the police were struggling to get leads in the biggest daylight heist of Rs 7.11 crore in the first few hours, the owner of the SUV which was used in the crime came to the rescue of investigators by informing the police that his vehicle was hired by the robbers. It was a dent mark on the rear bumper of the SUV that helped the owner identify his vehicle, as the robbers had changed the number plates. His tipoff decided the course of the investigation and helped the police cops zero in on the accused within 24 hours.
The police, investigating the November 19 heist from multiple angles, were left with no clues as the accused had avoided all digital footprints. The breakthrough, however, came when a Central Crime Branch (CCB) constable received a call from the vehicle owner.
Sources said that when photos and videos of the SUV were flashed all over the media, the owner was puzzled to see that the SUV looked exactly like his but was carrying a different registration number plate. On a closer look, he was convinced that it belonged to him as the vehicle had the telltale dent on the rear bumper of the vehicle.
He immediately alerted the police. A police team arrived at his house and learnt that the SUV had been hired by police constable Annappa Naik attached to the Govindapura police station by paying Rs 5,000 as advance a few days before the heist.
“Naik, through another accused, had hired the car from the owner by claiming that they were going on a temple trip. The owner had installed a GPS tracker on the vehicle, which the accused were unaware of. By tracking the GPS, the police managed to crack the case in a short time. With an alert from the owner within 24 hours of the heist, we found out the involvement of the accused. Xavier, a former employee of the cash management firm, and the constable were picked up and questioned. During interrogation, they revealed the plan,” an officer said.
The police are shocked that the accused were using an app to communicate with each other that cannot be traced with conventional technology.
Statements of wife of accused helped recover Rs 5.76 crore
Sources said that after the arrest of constable Naik and Xavier was flashed on the media, the accused got alert and changed their plan. The gang then decided to keep the cash at an abandoned house in Hoskote. Their original plan was to hide the money in a house in Rampuram village in Andhra Pradesh. A statement by the wife of accused Ravi that her husband and his associates had stayed for a day in Hoskote helped the police trace the house, where they recovered Rs 5.76 crore. The remaining amount had been taken away by the other accused, who fled to different states to evade arrest. The accused had planned to hide the money and wait for the situation to calm down before using the cash, the source said.
Accused exploited CMS company loopholes
Xavier, a former CMS employee, allegedly hatched the plot for the robbery with Ravi. The gang was unemployed and trapped in debt.
Sources said Xavier, who knew about cash movement patterns and security lapses in the company, approached Ravi with the idea. Ravi was initially reluctant, but later agreed. The accused are educated and don’t have any criminal background. They are first-time offenders and worked out their plan meticulously, but were caught in the end.
The police constable, who was also facing financial difficulties, assured the gang that he would assist them and guide them on evading police detection. Another accused, Gopi, who was working with CMS, alerted the gang about cash being transported, the vehicle’s route, and timing. The remaining accused, posing as RBI officials, intercepted and robbed the cash van near Dairy Circle.