6 months ago
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It took a squad of 200 constabulary unit 54 hours to ace 1 of the astir sensational daylight ATM currency van robbery lawsuit that took spot connected November 19.
On Saturday (November 22), the constabulary arrested a constabulary constable and a fleet manager of CMS institution and its erstwhile worker arsenic cardinal conspirators successful the case.
The halfway conspirators were identified arsenic Annappa Naik, J. Xavier, and Gopal Prasad, who were apprehended, and a important information of the stolen cash, amounting to ₹5.76 crore, was recovered.
Hours later, different squad of constabulary arrested 3 much accused from a lodge successful Hyderabad. The accused, identified arsenic Naveen, Nelson, and Ravi were tracked down done CCTV footage which yet confirmed their beingness portion they were checking into a lodge.
The constabulary besides recovered ₹53 lakh from their possession, taking the full betterment successful the lawsuit to ₹6.23 crore.
A team, led by inspector Ninganagouda and sub-inspector Kishore, traced the trio to Hyderabad, wherever they had taken structure aft the heist. The accused were being brought backmost to Bengaluru for further interrogation.
With the latest arrests, the fig of accused held successful the lawsuit has reached six, portion 2 much suspects are astatine large. Police teams person intensified efforts to way down the absconding accused and retrieve the remaining ₹67 lakh.
City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, portion congratulating the squad and announcing a reward of ₹5 lakh, said that efforts were connected to way down the remaining accused.
He said that the heist was meticulously planned and was a near-perfect one, which was cracked successful a grounds time.
On November 19, astir 1.20 p.m., CMS reported that a currency thorax van carrying ₹7.11 crore had been hijacked adjacent Siddapura Lalbagh roadworthy by a pack posing arsenic RBI officials.
The pack intercepted the currency van and took 2 information unit successful their car connected the pretext of inquiry, portion different accused boarded the currency van and asked the operator to thrust towards Dairy Circle flyover.
He aboriginal stopped the conveyance adjacent the flyover, took the currency container astatine gunpoint and escaped, portion the different accused dropped the information guards and currency custodian connected the mode and fled from the country to articulation the different accused with the currency box. The constabulary got accusation astir the robbery one-and-a-half hours aboriginal owed to disorder and deficiency of coordination among the staff, which was being probed.
This helped the accused to flight from the metropolis aft changing vehicles with fake licence plates.
Challenges successful cracking the case
The robbery was executed with meticulous readying and astir nary operational slip-ups, said the police. Multiple stops were made successful CCTV unsighted spots. No mobile phones were utilized during the operation. The pack communicated successful aggregate languages to mislead investigators. Several vehicles were used, with predominant changes successful licence plates.
The stolen currency was not serialised, making tracking difficult. Early media reports based connected unofficial inputs affected delicate parts of the investigation.
“Despite these hurdles, the Bengaluru Police cracked the lawsuit rapidly done coordinated teamwork and intensive method analysis,” Mr. Singh said.
The investigation
A monolithic multi-layered probe was launched, with teams comprising 11 constabulary inspectors, 2 Assistant Commissioners of Police from the South Division, on with six constabulary unit from the Central Crime Branch.
Technical and tract leads were pursued crossed Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, with immoderate teams extending operations to Goa.
Over 30 persons were questioned. CCTV footage, conveyance question patterns, and section quality were analysed continuously.
Within 24 hours, the constabulary had identified the suspects and the vehicles utilized successful the heist, the officials said.
Breakthroughs
Three accused were identified and detained wrong 54 hours of the transgression and ₹5.76 crore of the stolen currency was recovered wrong 60 hours. A conveyance utilized successful the cognition was traced and seized. The pack had astir six to 8 members who were progressive successful planning, execution, and question of the stolen cash.
The constabulary teams are making efforts to hint the remaining accused successful aggregate States to retrieve the remaining amount.
