Police probing the Bengaluru CMS cash van heist have recovered new CCTV footage showing the robbers surveying key city locations a day before the ₹7 crore robbery. The pre-planned reconnaissance has strengthened suspicions.
In a major development in the sensational Bengaluru Great Robbery case, police have obtained two additional CCTV footages that offer crucial insight into the robbers’ movements prior to the heist. The footage reveals that the gang conducted a thorough reconnaissance of the city a day before the ATM cash robbery, raising serious questions about the scale of planning and coordination behind the crime. The new evidence has given investigators a clearer picture of how the robbers surveyed key locations, purchased liquor and moved through the city before executing the ₹7.11 crore daylight robbery.
Robbers Spotted Surveying the City Before Crime
According to police sources, the newly recovered CCTV footage shows the accused near a bar and the Dairy Circle flyover on 18 November, a day before the robbery. Cameras captured them purchasing liquor at the bar, footage that came to light during a detailed CCTV check by the South Division police. The gang was reportedly moving around the same areas later in the evening, suggesting they were conducting a reconnaissance mission ahead of the crime.
Police Team Visits Parappana Agrahara Jail
In connection with the heist, a police team also visited the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail to investigate the possibility that the robbery was planned from inside the prison. Acting on suspicion, an inspector-led team entered the jail on the night of 19 November, the day the robbery occurred, to gather intelligence and verify whether any inmate had links with the gang. Investigators are examining if external and internal actors were in communication before the heist.
Questions Over Police Negligence Surface
The investigation has raised concerns about whether police negligence allowed the robbers to escape easily. Reports indicate that the police focused only on the vehicle carrying the cash and ignored other crucial leads. At around 12.36 pm, the gang made off with ₹7.11 crore in an Innova after holding CMS staff hostage. While the Innova fled, two additional vehicles, a Zen and a WagonR, carried other members of the gang.
The CMS staff were confined and had their mobile phones seized to delay any communication with authorities. It was only at about 1 pm that the Innova team informed the other two teams that they had successfully crossed the city limits, after which the hostages were released.
How the Robbers Managed a Clean Escape?
CMS staff managed to contact the DCP office at 1.16 pm. However, instead of taking immediate action, police reportedly spent nearly an hour verifying the robbery. Although the call was received at 1.16 pm, a wireless alert was issued only at 2.20 pm. By then, the Innova had already crossed Bhattarahalli.
The delay allowed the Zen and WagonR teams to escape without pursuit. Investigators later found that there was a forty-minute gap between the movement of the Innova and the other two cars. Officers believe that if the police had tracked those vehicles as well, the culprits could have been apprehended much sooner. The gang’s well-planned strategy ensured that all three teams slipped past law enforcement with minimal resistance.
A Case That Has Baffled the State Police
The case, involving three coordinated teams and seven to eight suspects, has become one of the most challenging robbery investigations in recent years. A large police force, including four Joint Commissioners and eighteen DCPs, is working round the clock to trace the gang.
Units from the Law and Order Wing, the CCB and the Traffic Police have joined the probe. More than one hundred CCTV footages have already been analysed, with support from the traffic police for camera verification. Based on the movement patterns captured on CCTV, multiple teams are actively pursuing leads to identify and arrest the robbery gang.