BENGALURU: Miscreants posing as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials intercepted a cash-in-transit vehicle (CITV) carrying Rs 7.11 crore and escaped with the money Bengaluru on Wednesday afternoon. The four staff members who were in the vehicle have been taken into custody on suspicion of involvement.
According to the preliminary investigation, the incident occurred around 12.30 pm near Jayanagar’s Ashoka Pillar.
The suspects, travelling in an SUV, intercepted the cash-in-transit vehicle (GJ-01-HT-9173) belonging to Cash Management Services (CMS).
Claiming to be RBI officials, they said they needed to conduct a verification.
Except for the driver, the three other staff members were taken out of the van and moved into the suspects’ vehicle. The miscreants then instructed the driver to drive the CITV towards the Dairy Circle flyover.
There, they allegedly threatened him with a pistol and fled the scene after unloading the cash along with the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) installed in the van.
The driver immediately alerted the CMS security head, who in turn informed the police. The van had collected Rs 7.11 crore from a private bank in JP Nagar and was heading towards HBR Layout, with multiple scheduled ATM stops to deposit the cash.
The four CMS staff members on board were identified as Binod Kumar (driver), Rajanna and Thamayya (armed guards), and Aftab (cash custodian), police said.
A senior police officer said that the Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO) and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) teams inspected the van and collected fingerprint evidence. The four staff members have been taken into custody for questioning, and CCTV footage is being analysed.
"Police strongly suspect insider involvement, indicating that critical information about the cash movement may have been leaked. The statements of the driver and the three other staff members were found to be inconsistent," the officer said, adding that the three staff members were left at Jayanagar, where they did not alert anyone.
The driver claimed he did not know that the three staff members had been abandoned there. A FIR was registered at Siddapura police station. The gang is believed to have escaped via Bannerghatta Road.
City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said that as soon as the incident was alerted, nakabandi was imposed across the city. Multiple teams have been formed and are conducting searches at various locations. A team is monitoring developments from the control room.
He also noted that the driver allegedly delayed informing the police and that investigators are probing why the armed guards did not resist or use their weapons.
Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha, Home Minister G Parameshwara said the police have already obtained leads and the accused will be arrested soon. He said information about the ATM cash movement had been leaked to the robbers.
“Who is responsible for this? Who gave them information about the cash movement? Was someone from the cash-loading team involved? We have just received leads regarding this,” he said.
“More than seven crore rupees have been robbed. We have obtained all details, including the vehicle number. The investigation is under way to determine whether the culprits are locals or from outside the state,” he added.