Bengaluru's 'perfect' heist: 'We are RBI officials' - How Rs 7 cr vanished from a cash van on busy flyover

Bengaluru flyover heist

In a meticulously planned daylight robbery that has sent shockwaves through India’s tech capital, a gang of five to six men posing as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials made off with an astonishing Rs 7 crore approximately from a private cash van on a busy Bengaluru flyover.

The audacious Bengaluru cash van robbery, which unfolded between 12.30 pm and 1.00 pm on Wednesday near the South End Circle area, has triggered a high-alert police manhunt and a political firestorm over law and order in Karnataka.

Bengaluru just witnessed a scene straight out of a crime thriller. 🎬💰

A crew of robbers — disguised as Tax officials — stopped a CMS cash-loading van under the pretext of a “verification check.”
In a perfectly timed operation, they calmly shifted ₹7 crore into their Innova,… pic.twitter.com/au4WkVBinJ

— Oxomiya Jiyori 🇮🇳 (@SouleFacts) November 19, 2025

According to police reports, the cash van, operated by CMS Info Systems, was transporting currency in three boxes from an HDFC Bank in JP Nagar to HBR Layout. The operation began when a Maruti Zen hatchback blocked the van’s path near Ashoka Pillar. An Toyota Innova multi-utility vehicle (MUV) pulled up behind them.

Speaking to media, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said the incident occurred under the Siddapura police station limits. About Rs 7 crore has been lost, but it is being verified, as the driver (of the cash van) has not shared the correct information.

According to a TOI report, three men emerged from the hatchback and approached the CMS staff, announcing, “We are RBI officials. There is a complaint against your firm for violating RBI guidelines. We have to record your statements.” The staff, comprising driver Binod Kumar, custodian Aftab and armed guards Rajanna and Tammaiah, reportedly complied without a struggle.

The two gunmen left their licensed single-barrel guns inside the vehicle and, along with the custodian, entered the gang’s Innova. The driver was instructed to proceed to the Dairy Circle flyover and await further instructions from the “RBI officials.”

In a carefully choreographed sequence, the Innova followed the van to the Nimhans junction, where the three CMS employees were ordered to disembark and proceed to the Siddapura police station to give their statements. The impostors informed them that the cash boxes would need to be taken to the RBI first, according to police accounts of the event.

Driver Kumar continued alone to the designated spot on the Dairy Circle flyover. The gang’s Innova soon arrived. At gunpoint, the miscreants transferred the three cash boxes into a third vehicle, a Maruti WagonR hatchback and sped away, abandoning both the Innova and the bewildered driver.

Police believe the location was strategically chosen. The Bengaluru flyover has little pedestrian traffic, fast-moving vehicles and, crucially, no CCTV cameras, making a stationary vehicle less likely to attract attention.

The investigation, led by eight special teams under senior officers, is grappling with several puzzling elements. A significant delay of nearly an hour before the incident was reported to police has raised serious questions about the staff’s conduct. All four CMS employees and the two guards are currently being interrogated.

Authorities have not ruled out the possibility of an inside job, with a senior official reportedly saying that the robbers appeared to have precise knowledge of the vehicle’s schedule and cash movements. This was echoed by Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, who stated that investigators have already obtained leads on how the gang received its information.

The gang’s preparation extended to their getaway car. The Innova used in the robbery was fitted with a fake licence plate (KA-03-NC-8052), which police discovered was registered to a sedan owned by a resident of Kalyan Nagar. One witness, Sanjay, cited by TOI reported seeing a hatchback block the van and noted that the following MUV had “the logo of the Indian govt on its front licence plate.”

The scale of the theft has drawn sharp political reactions. The opposition BJP described the heist as a reflection of crumbling law and order. Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka questioned how a guarded cash vehicle could be robbed in broad daylight on a main road, arguing it would make ordinary citizens feel more vulnerable.

With no CCTV footage from the primary crime scene, investigators are focusing on forensic evidence, including fingerprints and are tracking vehicle movements and call records in the areas of Whitefield, Marathahalli, Domlur and towards Hosakote, where the gang is believed to have fled.