Nyamati SBI Bank heist mastermind was inspired by TV serial say Police

    Davangere (Karnataka), Apr 1 (PTI) The investigation into the SBI bank heist at Nyamati in Davangere revealed that the mastermind of the robbery was inspired by a TV serial ‘Money Heist’ and other movies involving bank thefts and robberies, police said.

    17.7 kg of gold was stolen from the Nyamati branch of SBI on October 28, 2024. The offenders had entered through a window on the left side of the main hall of the bank after removing the iron grills of the window.
    Police arrested a six-member gang from Tamil Nadu and Nyamati in Karnataka after an intense investigation. They are Vijay Kumar (30), his brother Ajay Kumar (28), Abhisheka (23), Chandru (23), Manjunath (32) Paramananda (30).
    Mastermind Vijay Kumar hails from Tamil Nadu and had set up his sweets shop in Nyamati for many years.
    He executed the heist to overcome his financial problems, police said adding that he was also upset with the bank after it denied him a loan of Rs 15 lakh in August 2023.
    Besides TV serials and movies, YouTube videos too came quite handy for him to execute his plans.
    The gang meticulously planned the theft for six to nine months and took all necessary precautions to cover their tracks.
    Vijaykumar purchased equipment over this period including silent hydraulic iron cutters and gas cutting equipment. Vijaykumar even made sure to grind off the serial numbers of the oxygen cylinder he had purchased for gas cutting.
    One of the lockers in the strong room had been broken open with a gas cutter and emptied. Further, the DVR containing all CCTV footages of cameras in the bank premises had been taken away by the offenders.
    The police said the gang was able to execute this heist without leaving any evidence such as fingerprints, CCTV footage, toll data and cell phone data but the scientific investigation finally led to the arrest of the accused.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)