By news@flagshipupdate.online 
The Karnataka Police arrested the bakery owner and his five associates and recovered 17 kg of gold they stole from an SBI branch in the Davangere district.
A bank heist that occurred more than five months ago in the Davangere district of Karnataka has been solved as police recently recovered 17 kg of gold worth Rs 13 crore and arrested six men allegedly involved in the crime. The police announced the arrests Monday and said the investigation revealed that the accused drew inspiration from ‘Money Heist’, a Spanish crime drama television series, to carry out the robbery.
The arrested have been identified as Vijay Kumar, 30; Ajay Kumar, 28; and Paramanand, 30, residents of Tamil Nadu; and Abhishek, 23; Chandru, 23; and Manjunath, 32, residents of the Davangere district in Karnataka. The police said the kingpin of the heist is Vijay, who ran a bakery and sweets shop. On October 28, 2024, the gang stole gold ornaments worth Rs 13 crore from the State Bank of India (SBI) branch at the Nyamathi town in Davanagere district, 325 km away from Bengaluru.
According to the police, Vijay, who ran his shop in Nyamathi, applied for a Rs 15-lakh loan in March 2023. However, the bank rejected the loan, citing a low CIBIL score. Later, he made his relative apply for a loan, but it was also rejected. To avenge the rejection, Vijay decided to steal the bank, the police said.
A police officer said Vijay got inspired by ‘Money Heist’, built a team and watched the series multiple times. “He also saw many videos on YouTube on the materials needed to be used for the heist. The entire plan took nearly six months before they executed it,” said the officer.
The police said the gang meticulously planned their operation, sourcing essential tools such as a hydraulic cutter and gas cylinders from local shops in Shivamogga and Nyamathi. They allegedly frequently gathered at a school in Surahonne, sketching out their strategy.
On the day of the heist, the gang allegedly entered the bank through a window, used a gas cutter to breach the locker and successfully stole gold jewellery. They left no trace, removed CCTV cameras, and took away the digital video recorder (DVR) to erase any evidence, the police said. They also allegedly threw chilli powder along their escape route to mislead dog squads.
Initially, the police suspected an interstate gang, especially since a similar robbery had occurred in Bhadravati in Karnataka. The police even pursued a group from Kakral, Uttar Pradesh, but later ruled them out. Shifting the focus to local suspects, they eventually zeroed in on Vijay and his associates based on technical evidence linking people from Tamil Nadu with contacts in Nyamathi. Six police teams spent more than five months tracking down the accused before finally arresting the accused over several days in the last few weeks.
Following the arrests, the police discovered that Vijay had initially hidden the stolen gold in the trunk of a silver-coloured SUV parked at his house. Later, he allegedly transferred it to a small locker and submerged it in a dilapidated well in a dense jungle in Madurai in Tamil Nadu.
When he felt it was safe, Vijay allegedly retrieved part of the gold, depositing some in banks under his and his relatives’ names while selling some at gold shops. The police said the stolen wealth fuelled his newfound extravagance as he distributed Rs 1 lakh each to Abhishek, Chandru, and Manjunath, built a house in the village, and purchased several plots of land.
During the interrogation, the accused revealed how they had disposed of the evidence. They allegedly dumped the hydraulic cutter, gas cylinder, and other robbery tools into a lake near Savalanga town. To further eliminate traces, they smashed the hard disk and DVR, throwing the remnants into the same lake, the police said based on statements of the accused.
Ravikanthe Gowda, Inspector General of Police, Eastern Range, congratulated the police team for solving the complex bank robbery case. “It was a professionally executed crime. The accused carefully studied security loopholes before carrying out the heist. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the police, justice was served.”