Bengaluru heist: 3 including police constable arrested, ₹5.76 crore recovered within 3 days

Bengaluru: Bengaluru Police have arrested three individuals, including a serving police constable, in connection with the ₹7.11-crore cash-van robbery that rocked the city earlier this week. The arrests follow a large-scale manhunt involving more than 200 personnel, City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh announced on Saturday.

Three additional suspects were detained in Hyderabad, where officers recovered a bag containing ₹53 lakh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Bengaluru South) Lokesh B Jagalasar said.

Police sources identified those arrested as Constable Annappa Naik, former CMS employee Xavier, and vehicle-movement in-charge Gopi. Six police teams were dispatched across all the southern states and Goa to pursue leads, officials said.

Speaking to the media about the high-profile heist, in which a gang posing as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials made off with the cash, Singh confirmed that ₹5.76 crore has been recovered so far. Efforts are under way to trace the remaining amount.

“We have formed eleven teams and deployed 200 police officers and personnel for the job. Over 30 people were interrogated, and three have been arrested,” Singh said.

Commissioner Singh praised the swift work of the investigation teams, noting that the prime suspects were identified and detained within 54 hours. Within 60 hours, ₹5.76 crore had been recovered and one vehicle used in the operation had been seized.

Investigators believe the gang spent three months planning the robbery, mapping the cash van’s route and selecting a stretch with no CCTV coverage.

Police estimate that six to eight individuals were involved in the planning, execution, and movement of the stolen cash. Specific leads obtained within the first 24 hours helped officers identify the suspects and vehicles linked to the case, Singh added.

When did the heist happen?

The heist occurred on November 19, when unidentified men pretending to be RBI officials intercepted a CMS Info Systems cash van transporting money from a private bank branch in JP Nagar. The gang reportedly arrived in a car bearing a Government of India sticker, stopped the van on the pretext of document verification, and forced the staff, along with the cash, into their vehicle. The employees were later released near Dairy Circle while the gang fled with the money.

A search is ongoing to locate the remaining members of the gang.

PTI