‘Bank officials’ pull off $800,000 heist in India

International

ARMED men posing as officials from India’s central bank have carried out a brazen daylight robbery in Bengaluru, Karnataka, snatching about ₹70 million (roughly US$800,000) from an armored cash van, police said.

According to authorities, six men in a Toyota Innova SUV intercepted the cash van on a busy road near Ashoka Pillar. The robbers claimed they were officials from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and needed to verify documentation for such a large cash transfer.

In a report by BBC, the van was transporting a driver, a cash custodian, and two armed guards. The impersonators ordered the custodian and guards to get into their vehicle after handing over their firearms, while the driver was told to continue driving with the cash still inside the van.

After following the cash van for a stretch, the gang forced the driver out and conducted a cash transfer at gunpoint, then made their getaway.

Investigators noted that the SUV used by the robbers had a fake number plate and even a sticker that read “Government of India,” calling into question how well they planned the heist.

Police say they recovered the SUV used in the robbery, but they are still probing whether additional vehicles were part of the escape plan and whether insiders may have had a role.

The Bengaluru Police formed a special task force, deploying multiple teams to track down the suspects.

According to officials, they are working around the clock and investigating leads that include CCTV gaps, multilingual clues, and possible number-plate swapping tactics. (Victoria Diana USJ-R, Comm Intern)