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Seven arrested in India after $800,000 armored van heist
Indian authorities have detained seven individuals in connection with a brazen daylight robbery in Bengaluru, where armed assailants disguised as central bank officials stole 70 million rupees ($800,000) from a cash transport van, police announced Saturday.
Recovered funds and ongoing search
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh confirmed the recovery of 57.6 million rupees-over 80% of the stolen sum-three days after the heist. A seventh suspect was apprehended Sunday, though Singh noted investigators must still verify how much of the missing cash was in his possession.
"We are actively pursuing two or possibly three additional suspects," Singh told reporters, signaling the operation remains ongoing.
Inside the operation
The robbery unfolded in broad daylight in Bengaluru's Lalbagh district. The gang, impersonating Reserve Bank of India officials, halted the armored van under the pretense of inspecting documentation for the large cash transfer. After separating the vehicle's custodian and two guards into an SUV, one accomplice seized control of the van and fled.
Police later uncovered the gang had employed multiple evasion tactics, including switching vehicles, using counterfeit license plates, and targeting areas with sparse CCTV coverage to transfer the stolen cash boxes.
Suspects and systemic concerns
Among those arrested are Gopal Prasad, a current employee of cash logistics firm CMS; J Xavier, a former CMS worker; and Annappa Naik, a local police constable. The arrests have prompted scrutiny of CMS's protocols, with Singh highlighting potential breaches of cash-transfer guidelines.
"Vans should not adhere to predictable routes or schedules, as this compromises security," Singh stated, hinting at procedural lapses that may have enabled the heist.
Manhunt and cross-state coordination
The investigation mobilized over 200 officers across Karnataka and neighboring states-Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Goa-following the Wednesday robbery. Singh emphasized the operation's scale but declined to specify whether additional arrests were imminent.
