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Bengaluru police are investigating a dramatic daytime heist in which a group of armed men made away with Rs 7.11 crore from a vehicle transporting currency meant for ATM refilling. The incident took place near South End Circle, where the private cash management team had halted to load money into an ATM. Before the staff could begin, the gang, travelling in a Toyota Innova, pulled up and confronted them.
Posing as officials from the Reserve Bank of India, the group ordered the employees out of the vehicle and overpowered the gunmen, who were armed but reportedly did not retaliate.
Reportedly, the robbers split up the staff, keeping the driver with them in the vehicle belonging to CMS Info Systems and shifting the remaining employees to their own car. Both vehicles then moved a short distance before stopping on the Dairy Circle flyover, where the cash was transferred into the Innova.
The choice of location appears to have been deliberate; police noted that the flyover has little pedestrian activity, fast-moving traffic, and no CCTV coverage, making it less likely that a halted vehicle would draw attention. The gang is believed to have fitted the Innova with a fake number plate registered to a Swift car from Kalyan Nagar before fleeing the city.
Police said the delay of nearly an hour before the incident was reported has raised questions about the actions of the CMS staff. Four staff members, the driver, two armed guards, and a cashier, are currently being interrogated at Siddapur Police Station. Senior officials also confirmed that suspicion has not been ruled out regarding possible internal involvement, given that the robbers appeared to have precise knowledge of the vehicle’s schedule and cash movements.
The Police Commissioner, Seemanth Kumar Singh, has put the city on high alert, ordered intensified checks at city exits, and deployed additional teams and DCP-level officers to track down leads.
Authorities believe the gang may have escaped in the direction of Whitefield, Marathahalli, Domlur, and subsequently towards Hosakote. Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said investigators have already obtained leads indicating how the gang got information about the cash handling route. He acknowledged that the scale of the theft and the manner in which it was executed is unprecedented in Bengaluru and assured that the accused would be traced.
The incident has triggered a political backlash, with the opposition BJP describing the heist as a reflection of crumbling law and order in the state. Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka questioned how a cash vehicle could be robbed on a main road in daylight even while being guarded, and argued that ordinary citizens would feel even more vulnerable under such circumstances.
BJP leaders claimed the government has been distracted by political infighting and pointed to what they described as rising crime rates, worsening policing conditions, and a shortage of personnel. Retired IPS officer Bhaskar Rao also expressed concern about the handling of law enforcement in the state, citing recent cases in which he said criminals operated with increasing boldness.
Police are continuing to examine forensic evidence, including fingerprints collected from the crime scene. With no CCTV footage available from the location, investigators are focusing on tracking vehicle movements, call records, and the route taken by the suspects.