Bengaluru cracks Rs 7.11-crore ATM cash van heist, arrests include a police constable

Annappa Naik, a police constable attached to Govindapura police station in Bengaluru East.
Xavier, a former CMS Info Systems employee associated with the company’s ATM cash-loading operations.
Gopi, a CMS employee and in-charge of the cash refill vehicle.

The arrests were announced on Saturday, two days after the heist, as per The Indian Express report.

How the case turned toward an insider link

The report details investigators said they got a major breakthrough on Friday after finding clues pointing to a possible insider role. A police officer and another person were detained for questioning, based on those leads.

One key clue came from mobile tower data near the robbery site. Police said analysis of active numbers in the area showed multiple calls between the constable and the former CMS employee during the heist. Call detail records also indicated consistent contact between the two in the days leading up to the crime.

Another lead was the getaway vehicle, which was found abandoned near Tirupati in Chittoor district.

What police say about planning and execution

Commissioner Singh told the Indian Express that a gang of six to eight members was involved, and police have launched a manhunt across several South Indian states.

He said the heist had been planned for more than three months, with a 15-day reconnaissance before execution. During the operation, no mobile phones were used, and there was a delay in reporting the crime by CMS staff.

Police said the gang avoided CCTV coverage by making planned stops in blind spots and leaving no digital trail. Members also spoke in multiple languages to mislead investigators about their origins. The operation used multiple vehicles, with number plates and identifiers changed repeatedly.

Singh added that the stolen currency notes had not been serialised by the issuing bank, limiting traceability through banking systems.

What happened on November 19

According to police, on November 19 at 12.48 pm, a gang posing as Income Tax and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officers intercepted an ATM cash-loading vehicle near Ashoka Pillar on the Dairy Circle Flyover and fled with Rs 7.11 crore.

Police said the criminals took control of the cash boxes and abandoned the van by 1.16 pm before fleeing. After verification, Siddapura Police Station registered a case of dacoity involving firearms.

Role attributed to the accused

Investigators said Gopi was the mastermind who mapped the route and movement schedule for the CMS cash van. Police said the route knowledge and awareness of CCTV blind spots enabled the robbery.

Police also said that constable Annappa Naik trained the gang on executing the heist without leaving clues. Xavier, police said, had been involved in a similar offence earlier in the KG Halli police limits and had been jailed. Investigators also stated that Xavier had recently resigned from CMS and had developed close ties with Naik.

Commissioner Singh said police found lapses by CMS that violated RBI guidelines. He said the GPS tracking equipment was not working. He also pointed to rules that require frequent route changes so cash movement does not become predictable.