Three people have been arrested in connection with a daring Ksh103.4 million ($600,000) heist, in which armed men posing as central bank officials robbed an ATM cash van in Bengaluru.
Police said the robbery occurred on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, in the Lalbagh area, a busy district of the southern city. The gang stopped the transport van, claiming to be officers from the Reserve Bank of India, and instructed the cash custodian and two armed guards to leave their weapons behind and enter an SUV.
The gang took control of the van, transferring boxes of cash at gunpoint. They used fake vehicle registration plates and selected locations with minimal CCTV coverage to avoid detection.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said that more than 200 officers were deployed across Karnataka and neighboring states, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Goa, in a massive hunt for the culprits.
Three people of interest have been arrested: Gopal Prasad, a current employee of the cash transport company CMS; J. Xavier, a former CMS worker; and Annappa Naik, a local police constable. Police are still looking for two to three additional suspects.
“Our investigation is on track to recover the remaining money,” Commissioner Singh told reporters. So far, Ksh84.4 million has been recovered. Authorities are also examining CMS’s role and adherence to cash transport guidelines, as repeated routes and timings may have made the van predictable.
The company responsible for transporting the cash filed a police complaint after the incident. Authorities are emphasizing the need for secure transport protocols to prevent similar robberies in the future.
The case highlights the increasing sophistication of organized crime, where robbers employ deception, multiple vehicles, and strategic planning to execute large-scale heists. Police continue to urge vigilance in cash transport operations.
