Four arrested for cash van robbery from Chennai, Rs 6.3 crore recovered

BENGALURU: The city police have cracked a case in which a cash van carrying cash into an ATM was intercepted and Rs 7.11 crore was robbed near Dairy Circle flyover with the arrest of four accused from Chennai and the recovery of Rs 6.3 crore. The remaining amount and the whereabouts of the accused are still being investigated.

The police, who were tracking the robbers, seized an Toyota Innova getaway car used in the crime in Chittoor and brought it to Bengaluru for examination. The gang had fixed a UP number plate and fled.

Two people who had given the Innova to the robbers have been arrested. Police sources say the two were identified based on the car’s engine and chassis numbers after it was found near Gudipalli in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh.

The police have registered the case and formed special teams. They arrested constable Annappa Naik of the Govindapuram police station and Deviyar, originally from Kerala. Annappa Naik, who was on night duty on Wednesday, was taken into custody on Thursday morning after finishing his shift.

During the investigation it emerged that the robbers had made several master plans to evade the police. They never spoke on regular phone calls and communicated only via WhatsApp calls because they believed a normal call could be easily traced. This initially confused the police about whether the gang had left Bengaluru or was still in the city.

Once it was confirmed that WhatsApp calls had been used, the police turned to CCTV footage. Reviewing the videos confirmed that the gang had moved out of Bengaluru.

The car used in the crime was located near Chitt00r, and because there is was high likelihood that the robbers would be in the vicinity, police scanned CCTV cameras within a 20‑kilometre radius around Chitt00r before finally tracking four of them to Chennai. The police are now investigating if more were involved in the heist.