Men posing as India's central bank officials pull off 70m rupee heist

Armed men posing as officials from India's central bank have robbed a vehicle transporting 70 million rupees ($800,000) in Bengaluru, police said, prompting a massive manhunt.

The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon (19 November) when a CMS cash van was travelling from the HDFC Bank branch in JP Nagar. Six men in a Toyota Innova stopped the van on a busy road near Ashoka Pillar and claimed to be central bank officials conducting a document verification, according to reports by BBC and NDTV.

The robbers forced the cash custodian and two armed guards to leave their weapons in the van and get into the SUV, while the driver was instructed to continue driving with the cash. After following the van for several kilometres, the gang transferred the cash at gunpoint and fled, leaving the staff behind near Dairy Circle, Hindustan Times reported.

Police said the SUV used in the heist had a fake number plate and a sticker reading "Government of India." The area had limited CCTV coverage, and authorities are investigating whether multiple vehicles were used. The cash transportation company has filed a police complaint.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah confirmed that the SUV had been recovered. Home Minister G Parameshwara said it was still unclear which vehicle the suspects used to escape but expressed confidence that police would quickly solve the case, citing previous high-profile bank robbery investigations in the state.

Police have launched a detailed investigation, forming special squads to track down the culprits. Preliminary findings suggest the heist was carried out by a well-planned and organised group.

The robbery comes months after a separate theft in Vijayapura district in May, when 59kg of gold worth 532.6 million rupees was stolen from a bank using a duplicate locker key. Police recovered 39kg of the gold and some cash, and arrested 15 people, including two former employees.