BENGALURU: In a meticulously planned daylight heist, a group of five to six armed men disguised as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials executed a dramatic robbery, escaping with ₹7.1 crore from an armoured cash van on a busy flyover in south Bengaluru on Wednesday afternoon.
The robbery unfolded between 12.30 pm and 1 pm, as a CMS Info Systems armoured vehicle was transporting three cash boxes from an HDFC Bank branch in JP Nagar to HBR Layout, nearly 22 km away. The operation involved multiple vehicles — an MUV, two hatchbacks, and the CMS van — and appeared choreographed to perfection.
The sequence began near Ashoka Pillar in Jayanagar 2nd Block when a Maruti Zen abruptly blocked the cash van. Inside the van were driver Binod Kumar, custodian Aftab, and gunmen Rajanna and Tammaiah. Three men stepped out of the Zen, followed closely by an Innova, and claimed to be RBI officials. “There is a complaint against your firm for violating RBI guidelines. We need to record your statements,” they told the CMS staff.
One of the impersonators instructed driver Kumar to proceed to the Dairy Circle flyover — about 3 km away — where the supposed RBI officials would join them. As Kumar drove ahead, the MUV transporting both CMS staffers and the miscreants tailed the van. Near the Nimhans junction, the MUV came to a halt.
The impostors then ordered the three CMS employees to get off. “We’ll take your statements at the police station. Before that, we must take the cash boxes to the RBI,” they said. The CMS staff began walking toward Siddapura police station, while Kumar continued to the designated flyover point.
Moments later, the MUV carrying the robbers pulled up beside Kumar at Dairy Circle. At gunpoint, they transferred the three cash boxes into a waiting Maruti WagonR, claiming the money needed to be inspected by RBI officials. Within seconds, the gang sped away, abandoning Kumar, the CMS van, and their own MUV.
Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said multiple angles are being investigated. “There was an unfortunate delay in CMS informing us. Two deputy commissioners and a joint commissioner are now supervising eight special teams to crack the case,” he said.
A witness, Sanjay, reported seeing a hatchback blocking the CMS van near Ashoka Pillar, followed by an MUV sporting what appeared to be an Indian government logo on its front number plate. Police later confirmed that the plate (KA-03-NC-8052) was fake and actually belonged to a sedan registered in Kalyannagar.
Nataraj, senior security adviser at CMS, said he did not suspect internal involvement and expected the police inquiry to uncover the perpetrators. A formal complaint was lodged late Wednesday night by CMS branch manager Vinod Chandrar.
