Armed men impersonating central bank officials steal $800,000 in Bengaluru heist
Armed men posing as officials from India’s central bank have robbed a cash-transport van carrying 70 million rupees ($800,000) in Bengaluru, Karnataka, police said. Authorities have launched a massive search operation to locate the suspects.
The daylight robbery occurred on Wednesday when six men in an SUV intercepted a cash van transporting money between bank branches. The van carried a driver, a cash custodian, and two armed security guards, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
“The robbers claimed to be officials from the Reserve Bank of India, asking to verify the documents for transporting such a large sum,” said Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh.
The gang forced the cash custodian and security guards to leave their weapons in the van and get into the SUV while instructing the driver to continue driving with the cash. After a short pursuit, the suspects forced the driver out, transferred the money at gunpoint, and fled the scene.
The SUV had a fake number plate and a sticker reading “Government of India”.
CCTV coverage in the area was limited, and police are investigating whether multiple vehicles were used.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah confirmed that the SUV had been recovered, but authorities are still tracking the escape route.
Investigators are also probing whether any company employees were involved in the heist.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara expressed confidence that police would solve the case swiftly, citing previous successful investigations into high-profile robberies.
This incident follows a May heist in Vijayapura, where 59 kg of gold worth 532.6 million rupees was stolen using a duplicate locker key. Police have since recovered 39 kg of gold and some cash, arresting 15 individuals, including two former bank employees.
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