Karnataka Police have cracked a multi-crore gold and cash robbery case involving Canara Bank in Managuli town, with three arrests including a former senior manager of the bank.
On May 25, 58.97 kg of gold ornaments worth approximately Rs 53.26 crore, along with Rs 5.20 lakh in cash, were stolen from a locker in the Canara Bank branch in Managuli.
The accused arrested so far are Vijayakumar Miriyala, the former senior manager at the Canara Bank branch; Chandrashekhar Nerella, an employee of a private company in Hubballi; and Sunil Moka.
According to Superintendent of Police Lakshman Nimbargi, the accused meticulously planned the robbery over several months. Vijayakumar, who was about to be transferred, secretly gave bank keys to the other accused and even arranged fake keys. They studied the bank’s layout and CCTV systems to avoid detection.
The theft was initially planned for May 23 during an IPL cricket match to leverage the noise of celebrations as cover, but the plan was postponed when the local team lost. They eventually carried out the robbery on May 24 by breaking into the bank, disabling CCTV and cutting the high-mast light cable. They melted the stolen gold ornaments and bars to facilitate transportation.
The police have recovered two cars used in the crime, 10.5 kg of gold ornaments worth around Rs 10.75 crore, and gold bars. An operation is ongoing to arrest the remaining accused and recover all stolen items.
Interestingly, the accused tried to mislead the police by sprinkling saffron, turmeric, and salt powder in the bank and placing blowtorches, imitating a “witchcraft” style robbery seen in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
This case is the second-largest jewellery theft in Karnataka’s history, and the police have formed eight teams to pursue further investigation.
