In a significant development, the police in Bengaluru have cracked the case of the ATM cash-van theft, apprehending three main suspects and recovering Rs 5.76 crore within 60 hours of the incident. The theft occurred on Tuesday and involved a cash van operated by CMS that was transporting Rs 7.11 crore, revealing that it was a carefully orchestrated crime with inside help. At about 12:48 pm, robbers posing as Reserve Bank of India officials stopped the CMS cash van close to the Ashoka Pillar-Jayanagar Dairy Circle. They threatened the crew at gunpoint, took the cash boxes, and left the van by 1:16 pm. A report was filed at the Siddapura Police Station. The following three individuals, connected to the planning and execution of the robbery, were arrested: The person in charge of tracking vehicle movements from CMS, believed to have leaked essential information.
A previous CMS worker, thought to have provided details about operational methods and insider information.
A police constable from Govindapura Police Station, who is said to have given on-the-ground assistance and intelligence. These arrests indicate that there was insider involvement at several levels.
According to the police, the group spent three months organizing the heist. They constantly surveyed the route taken by the cash van and looked for CCTV blind spots along the way. They also used different vehicles, changed their license plates often, and avoided cell phones to evade police detection. The suspects spoke in multiple languages to confuse investigators. Authorities believe that 6-8 people took part in the larger scheme, including those managing logistics, scouting, and transferring money. "All suspects are residents of Bengaluru. We cannot disclose the specific roles of each suspect, but this is a serious situation. We have invited the heads of the CMS company to address any lapses to prevent future occurrences," Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh informed the media.
"We have recovered some containers that held cash. The former employee left the company about a year ago, but he still had contact with some individuals at CMS. All three arrested suspects and others involved played significant roles," he continued.
More than 30 individuals were questioned across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Goa. Initial leads surfaced within 24 hours, aiding in tracking the suspects and the vehicles they used.
The police noted that the CMS cash van had also breached several RBI safety regulations, making it more vulnerable. One of the vehicles involved in the robbery has also been confiscated. The Bengaluru Police team that solved the case received a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh from the police commissioner.
