Gang steals over ₹7 crore after hijacking van: Police

AAggroup of men allegedly posed as officials from the hold camber of republic of india (RBI) and commandeered a vehicle carrying thomas more than ₹7.11 crore in cash near the Ashoka Pillar in broad daylight on Wednesday, said police, adding that the vehicle was later found abandoned with the cash missing.A senior police officer in the know said the incident occured when a van, operated by a cash management services (CMS) company, was allegedly intercepted by a Toyota Innova and diverted from its planned route. The location where the van stopped was a surveillance “blind spot” with little CCTV coverage, added the officer.According to city police commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, “We are examining all angles in the case, including the role of the CMS staff in the robbery. A case was registered over the matter at Siddapura police station and an investigation is underway.”Police say they have detained the van driver, two armed guards, and a cash depositor, adding that delays in reporting the incident and a perceived absence of resistance by CMS staff during the alleged confrontation with the Innova complicated the probe and suggested the possibility of internal collusion.According to the FIR, based on a complaint by Branch Manager of the CMS firm, “On Wednesday, around 9.30am, under the supervision of the custodian, the company’s vehicle left for the bank with driver Binod Kumar and gunmen Rajanna and Tammayya. At about 12.24pm, they withdrew ₹7.11 crore from the JP Nagar HDFC Currency Chest, packed the cash into trunks, and loaded it into their vehicle.”“About five to six men got out, claimed to be from the RBI, and ordered them to step out of the vehicle. They took custodian Afthab and gunmen Rajanna and Tammayya in their Innova (car), and instructed the driver alone to continue driving the cash vehicle,” the FIR added.The van was found abandoned near the Jayadeva Dairy Circle flyover, said police.As more details emerged, police learned that the Innova used in the robbery carried a fake number plate.The registration number displayed on the vehicle corresponds to a Maruthi Swift car registered at the Indiranagar RTO, while the Innova itself is registered to a man in Thippasandra, they said.Photographs of potential suspects have been circulated across the city, and police have erected checkpoints at multiple locations as part of efforts to intercept the group, they added. The investigation team is reviewing records, analysing the route taken by the attackers and questioning the staff who were inside the van to determine whether any of them may have provided information or assistance, knowingly or otherwise, said an officer in the know.At the Vidhana Soudha, home minister G. Parameshwara said , “We have some information, but we cannot share everything. We will definitely catch them. We have the vehicle number and other details,” he said.Calling the incident unprecedented for Bengaluru in broad daylight, he said officials were examining whether the group was from the city or from outside Karnataka.