The alleged mastermind, Vijaykumar, was reportedly inspired by popular television shows such as Money Heist and other films about bank robberies. He reportedly orchestrated the robbery to resolve his financial problems after a ₹15 lakh loan application was rejected by the same bank in August 2023.
Published Apr 01, 2025 | 12:21 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 01, 2025 | 12:21 AM
The recovered gold ornaments on display. (X)
Synopsis: Karnataka Police have cracked a high-profile bank heist case nearly six months after gold ornaments worth ₹13 crore were stolen from the State Bank of India’s Nyamati branch in Davangere district. The alleged mastermind, Vijaykumar, drew inspiration from Money Heist and YouTube tutorials.
The Karnataka Police have solved a high-profile bank robbery case, nearly six months after gold ornaments worth ₹13 crore were stolen from a State Bank of India branch in Davangere district.
The alleged mastermind, Vijaykumar, was reportedly inspired by popular television shows such as Money Heist and other films about bank robberies.
On 28 October 2024, following a two-day holiday, thieves broke into the bank’s strong room and made away with 17.7 kg of pledged gold ornaments.
A FIR was filed the same day at Nyamati Police Station under Sections 305, 331(3) and 331(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
In a statement, police said they initially arrested five men belonging to the Kakrala gang: Guddu Kalia, Aslam alias Tantun, Hazarath Ali, Kamruddin alias Sareilly Babu, and Babu Sahan.
All are from Kakrala in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district. The men were allegedly involved in several property-related crimes across Karnataka between 2014 and 2024.
These included a 15 kg gold theft from Karnataka Grameena Bank’s Hosahalli branch in November 2022, and another involving 4 kg of gold at the Bevuru branch.
“The offenders had entered through a window on the left side of the main banking hall after removing the iron grill of the window. One of the lockers in the strong room had been broken open with a gas cutter and emptied,” the statement read.
“Further, the DVR containing all CCTV footages of cameras in the bank premises had been taken away by the offenders. Interestingly, the offenders had spread chilli powder all across the bank premises, including the strong room and the manager’s cabin.”
Despite analysing footage from CCTVs within a 50-kilometre radius of the robbery, reviewing mobile tower data, and collecting information from inter-state toll booths, police said the offenders had managed to sufficiently cover their tracks and had left no evidence behind.
Investigators then began analysing attempted bank thefts across Karnataka. In particular, they reviewed an attempted robbery at an SBI branch in Holehonnur, near Bhadravati, on 2 August 2024.
Technical evidence found led police to believe that this theft was done by the same members. However, they were unable to directly link the gang to the Nyamati case and the investigation continued.
Fresh technical evidence eventually pointed to suspects with connections to both Tamil Nadu and Nyamati.
Police said six people were arrested: Vijaykumar (30), Ajaykumar (28), Abheesheka (23), Chandru (23), Manjunath (32), and Paramananda (30).
Vijaykumar and Ajaykumar are brothers, and Paramananda is their sister’s husband. All three are originally from Tamil Nadu and had been running a sweets business in Nyamati for several years. The other three suspects are locals.
Following their arrest, police recovered stolen gold from multiple locations in Usilampatti town, Madurai district.
In one instance, officers retrieved a locker containing 15 kg of gold from a 30-foot-deep irrigation well with the help of swimmers. Police said Vijaykumar had hidden the locker there, intending to retrieve it two years later.
Additional gold was recovered from financial institutions, where it had been pledged in the names of Vijaykumar’s relatives, and from jewellery shops where it had been sold over the previous five months. In total, 17 kg of the stolen gold has been recovered.
Police say Vijaykumar orchestrated the robbery to resolve his financial problems after a ₹15 lakh loan application was rejected by the same bank in August 2023.
Furthermore, selecting the Nyamati branch of SBI for the crime was also partly due to his loan application being rejected by the bank in August 2023. He also reportedly relied on YouTube videos for planning and preparation over six to nine months.
He even purchased specialised equipment such as hydraulic iron cutters and gas-cutting tools, grinding off serial numbers to avoid detection.
To further his plans, Vijaykumar took the assistance of his brother, Ajay, his brother-in-law, Paramananda, and his friends, Abheesheka, Chandru and Manjunatha.
Police said Vijaykumar and Chandru carried out several night-time recces to determine how long it would take to walk to the bank through the surrounding fields and to observe police and civilian movement.
The accused allegedly took meticulous steps to avoid leaving evidence, including fingerprints, mobile phone data, CCTV footage, and toll records.
However, Vijaykumar and his associates had already started encashing the gold to build houses and expand their business.
Persistent efforts and a breakthrough in technical evidence eventually led investigators to the accused.
The investigation was led by Superintendent of Police Davanagere District, Uma Prashanth, Indian Police Service (IPS), with guidance from Additional Superintendents of Police Manjunath G and Vijaykumar Santosh.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)