The police, investigating the ATM cash van heist in Bengaluru on Wednesday — one of the biggest robberies in recent times — suspect an insider role in the crime and have found out that Rs 7.11 crore cash from the cash-loading van was transferred at gunpoint on the Dairy Circle flyover to prevent CCTV surveillance.
Investigators also noted inconsistencies in the statements of the ATM cash-loading van crew during interrogation.
On Wednesday, a gang posing as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Income Tax (I-T) officers made away with the cash from the van belonging to CMS Logistics, which was heading from HDFC Bank’s J P Nagar branch towards Siddapura gate. The police have discovered that the accused crossed the Kolar toll by taking the Hoskote Road.
A probe also revealed that the digital video recorder of the CCTV cameras installed in the van is missing. As per reports, the police have already gained access to the CCTV details and have identified the faces.
“The robbers have done enough homework, and we suspect an insider role who had fed information to the suspects for some time, including on the day of the crime. Given Bengaluru traffic and surveillance, a daylight robbery of this kind is almost impossible,” said an officer, who is part of the investigation team, on Thursday.
“Why would anyone follow the orders of these men who claimed to be RBI and I-T officers? Also, we suspect that they chose the Dairy Circle flyover to transfer the cash as there is poor CCTV surveillance,” he said.
In a First Information Report (FIR) filed by Vinod Chandra, the branch manager of CMS Info System — a private firm that collects and transports cash for banks — stated that a grey Innova car intercepted their cash van near the Ashoka Pillar in Jayanagar between 12.30 pm and 1 pm.
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According to the FIR, the gang members posing as RBI and I-T department officers asked the four-member crew how such huge money was being transferred without permission from the authorities. “They told driver Binod Kumar, cash custodian Aftab, and armed guards Rajanna and Thammaiah that they would conduct an inspection and verify the documents,” the FIR stated.
The Innova bore a fake registration number (KA 03 NC8052) and a ‘Govt of India’ sticker on the rear end of the car, the police said.
While the gang asked all the crew members, except the driver, to get into their vehicle to be taken to the police station, Binod Kumar was directed to drive the cash van to the Dairy Circle flyover, which was 5 km away, and wait for them. It was later found out that the crew members of CMS who were in the Innova car were deboarded, and the gang managed to stop the cash van on the flyover, where they transferred the cash boxes into the Innova car, holding the driver at gunpoint, and fled the spot, the FIR stated.
The police suspect that another car was also involved in the crime.
Police have strong leads, says minister
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Home Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday said that the case has been taken up seriously to ensure that such an incident never occurs. “The police have got strong leads in the case and the suspects will be arrested soon,” he told reporters.