Rs 7 cr ATM cash van heist: Bengaluru police crack case, recover over 5 cr, arrest cop
BENGALURU: The South division police investigating the Rs 7.11 crore broad daylight heist have reportedly made a breakthrough by recovering more than Rs 5 crore in cash of the Rs 7.11 crore robbed. The police recovered the money from Chennai and also Andhra Pradesh. A police constable attached to the citys East division, who is said to be the mastermind, and a former employee of the Cash Management Services (CMS) from Kerala have reportedly been arrested. Both close friends, they had been hatching the plot for the last six months after the latter quit CMS. The police are said to have also arrested three others for providing logistical support. The police have also zeroed in on two brothers, said to be kingpins in the incident. The brothers, sons of an ex-serviceman, are from Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, and were working in the city. The police, based on the CCTV footage, have identified five robbers who are said to be habitual offenders involved in similar cases. The police are also questioning over 30 suspects. Cop made route map, friend gave inside info The role of the constable and his friend came to light when the police officers started checking the mobile phone details of past employees of CMS. Both had exchanged several calls during the robbery. The former CMS staff was interrogated and he reportedly spilled the beans about their involvement in the heist. The police, who knew the criminal past of the constable, took him in for questioning on Thursday evening. The constable reportedly made the route map, while his friend provided inside information of CMS and the safety features of a Cash-In-Transit-Vehicle (CITV). The constable picked a few youth from Banaswadi to carry out the heist. The constable, who was on patrolling duty, had seen a Swift car parked inside a house and used its registration number for the Innova SUV used in the heist. The constable had a criminal past and had been arrested in one of the crimes committed on the citys outskirts earlier. During his custody, he had spoken to a few criminals inside the prison and became friends with them. The police suspect the involvement of some criminals who are in jail. A team of police officers visited the Bengaluru Central Prison in Parappana Agrahara. The two brothers are from Gudipala in Chittoor, the same place the SUV was found. They had kept in touch with the cop, while they were working in Bengaluru. Home Minister G Parameshwara said the police have got vital information, but he did not want to reveal it in public as it would alert the criminals. He said a time limit cannot be fixed in such cases.
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