Bengaluru heist: Men posing as RBI officials rob ₹7 cr from ATM cash van

A cash van in Bengaluru was stopped by men posing as RBI officials, who took away over ₹7 crore in a daylight heist; police are scanning CCTV footage and have formed special teams to trace them

Bengaluru witnessed a scene straight out of a heist film on Wednesday, when a group of unidentified men posing as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials stopped an ATM van and escaped with over ₹7 crore, news agency PTI reported.

 

The cash vehicle was transporting money from a bank branch in JP Nagar when it was stopped near Ashoka Pillar. Police initially believed the men were posing as Income Tax officials, but the investigation later pointed to RBI impersonation.

 

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said, “Probably never happened in Bengaluru before."

 

Preliminary investigations found that the robbers arrived in a car with a 'Government of India' sticker and demanded to check documents before taking control of the vehicle. The men allegedly pushed the van staff into their car along with the cash and drove toward Dairy Circle. They later dropped the staff near the flyover and fled with the money, the report said.

 

 

Over 50 CCTV camera feeds are reportedly being scanned to trace the route taken by the suspects. Parameshwara said the case is being taken “very seriously” and assured that the culprits will be arrested soon.

 

'Exact cash amount still being verified'

 

City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said the robbery took place on Wednesday afternoon under Siddapura police station limits. While the stolen amount is estimated at ₹7 crore, he said verification is still under way because “the driver of the cash transporting van has not shared the correct information".

 

"There is nakabandi (roadblocks) in the entire city, we are making our efforts. We have formed various teams... We will try to detect the case at the earliest," Singh said, as quoted by PTI.  ALSO READ | 'Bihar to begin new phase of growth': Nitish ahead of taking oath as CM 

FIR details: Staff forced out, driver threatened with pistol

 

According to the FIR filed by the Branch Manager of CMS Inno System Ltd, the company picked up ₹7.11 crore from the HDFC currency chest in JP Nagar at 12:24 pm. The cash was packed into trunks and loaded into the van.

 

As the vehicle moved towards Lalbagh Siddapura Gate, an SUV intercepted it. "About five to six men got out, claimed to be from the RBI, and ordered them to step out of the vehicle," the FIR said. The custodian Afthab and gunmen Rajanna and Tammayya were taken away in the suspects’ Innova, while the driver was told to continue alone.

 

The FIR further states that the men later threatened the driver with a pistol at Dairy Circle flyover and took the entire ₹7.11 crore before escaping. The company’s GPRS tracking and DVR checks later confirmed the theft. The DVR itself was also removed by the robbers.

 

Who tipped them off, asks home minister

 

Addressing the media, Parameshwara asked how the robbers knew such a large amount of cash was being moved. "...The incident shouldn't have happened. Who is involved? Who gave them the information about money being transported? We don't have information as of now," he said, adding that the police have “certain leads” and will identify and arrest the culprits soon. 

 

Later, Parameshwara, along with senior police officials, briefed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah about the case.

 

(With agency inputs)