In a shocking daylight robbery, a group of five to six men posing as officials from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) looted Rs 7.1 crore from a cash van in South Bengaluru on Wednesday (19th November) afternoon.
The incident took place between 12:30 pm and 1 pm when the van, operated by CMS Info Systems, was transporting three boxes of cash from HDFC Bank in JP Nagar to HBR Layout, a distance of around 22 kilometres.
In one of the major robberies reported recently in Bengaluru, a gang allegedly intercepted an ATM cash-loading vehicle and made off with Rs 7.11 crore around Wednesday noon.
The incident took place near the Ashoka pillar when seven or eight people came in an Innova car,… pic.twitter.com/J8lchHIbtl— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) November 19, 2025
The act began near the Ashoka Pillar in Jayanagar 2nd Block, when a Maruti Zen car suddenly blocked the path of the CMS armoured van. Inside the van were the driver, Binod Kumar, custodian Aftab, and two armed guards, Rajanna and Tammaiah. Three men stepped out of the Zen, followed by a Toyota Innova MUV that was right behind it.
The strangers told the van’s crew that they were RBI officers and needed to question them about a complaint against their firm for breaking RBI rules.
Trusting them, the two gunmen left their single-barreled licensed guns inside the van and got into the Innova along with the custodian. The robbers instructed the driver to take the cash van to the Dairy Circle flyover, approximately 3 km away, and wait there. The MUV followed the van closely.
When the vehicles reached near Nimhans junction, the MUV stopped, and the miscreants told the three staff members to step out, saying they should go to the police station to give their statements. They also noted that the cash boxes had to be sent to the RBI immediately for checking.
The CMS staff started walking towards Siddapura police station, while driver Binod Kumar drove the van to Dairy Circle as instructed. Soon, the same gang arrived at the flyover in the MUV, pretending to continue the official inspection. At gunpoint, they transferred the cash boxes from the van into another hatchback, a Maruti WagonR, and then quickly sped away, taking Rs 7.1 crore with them. The driver was left behind with the empty van and the abandoned MUV.
A resident named Sanjay said he saw the Zen blocking the van and noticed an Indian government logo on the MUV’s number plate. Later, police confirmed that the number plate (KA-03-NC-8052) was fake and actually belonged to a sedan registered in Kalyannagar.
Bengaluru police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said the case is being investigated from every angle. “There was a delay in CMS reporting the case. Two deputy commissioners of police and one joint commissioner are leading eight special teams to catch those involved,” he said. Police have also set up checkpoints across the city and launched a massive search for the robbers. Initial findings suggest that a well-organised gang was behind the heist.
Singh also said the police are looking into why the security guards did not use their weapons and why the team took so long to inform the authorities after the robbery. The four CMS staff members are being questioned to get more clarity on this.
Nataraj, senior security advisor at CMS, said the company has complete faith in its employees and expects the police investigation to reveal who is responsible. CMS branch manager Vinod Chandrar has complained to the police station.