Bengaluru Rs 7 Crore Cash Van Heist: Police Investigate Inside Job Possibility and Vehicle Swap

Multiple angles, including insider involvement and security lapses, are under scrutiny in the Bengaluru heist case.

Bengaluru:

The investigation into the dramatic Rs 7 crore daylight heist in Bengaluru, where a CMS cash van was robbed on Tuesday, has intensified. Police are focusing on the possibility of an inside job. According to sources who spoke to NDTV on Wednesday, driver Vinod, custodian Aftab, gunman Rajanna, and staffer Thammayya underwent extensive interrogation to verify their statements.

All four staff members have reportedly provided similar accounts and denied any involvement in the robbery. Authorities confiscated their mobile phones to examine whether any photographs of the vehicle, bank, or route were taken or deleted, and to check if sensitive information was forwarded to anyone.

Investigators are analyzing call logs and message histories for suspicious communication. They have initiated a tower dump analysis to identify all mobile numbers active near the crime scene and determine whether any calls were exchanged between those numbers and the staff.

The perpetrators, who impersonated Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officers during the cash van robbery, remain at large despite police checkpoints established throughout Bengaluru.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh confirmed that multiple angles, including insider involvement and security lapses, are being investigated.

"We have information that around seven crores have been robbed, but the exact amount is yet to be confirmed as the driver is not providing clear details," Singh stated.

"Checkposts have been established across the city, and multiple teams, including three DCPs and a Joint Commissioner, are working on the case. We are evaluating why the security personnel didn't use their weapons and why there was a delay in reporting to police," he added.

Based on preliminary information from the CMS cash van staff, investigators believe the robbers communicated via WhatsApp calls and spoke in Kannada.

Authorities suspect the criminals operated in two groups - one to hijack the cash van staff and another to escape with the money. The Toyota Innova used in the crime is believed to have displayed fake number plates.

Search operations have been launched across Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border regions, including Hosakote and Hosur, with more than 50 police personnel deployed. CCTV footage from toll plazas and all major exit routes is being meticulously examined.

Surveillance video showed the Innova involved in the heist traveling from Old Madras Road towards Electronic City.

Police are also investigating recently resigned CMS employees, new recruits, suspicious staff members, and individuals with known criminal histories to rule out internal collusion.

With multiple specialized teams deployed and surveillance intensifying across state borders, Bengaluru Police have declared cracking this case their top priority.

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara revealed on Thursday that the robbers switched vehicles and transferred the money.

"They used the number plate of a different vehicle to avoid detection. When we traced that number, we discovered it belonged to a Maruti Swift owner. We haven't identified which vehicle they used to escape the city. We've learned they changed cars and moved the money as well. We're working to determine whether the vehicle has left the state," Parameshwara told reporters.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that one of the vehicles has been recovered. "We have obtained some clues; one car used in the heist has been recovered. We are working to trace and apprehend the accused," Siddaramaiah said.