Delay of 1.5 hours in reporting ATM cash van robbery to police being probed

Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said there was a delay of about one-and-a-half hours in the ATM cash van robbery being reported to the police, giving an advantage to the robbers and this was being probed, whether this was deliberate or gross negligence.

The staff who were there in the van — the custodian, the driver, and the armed security personnel — were hired by different agencies, without any background checks. They reported the incident to their seniors and not the police.

While the CMS Info Systems staff began probing and trying to track down the vehicle and carrying out their SOP, they failed to inform the police, which they are supposed to do on top priority, Mr, Singh said.

“Meanwhile, the staff instead of calling the police control room decided to have lunch as it was their lunch break,” Mr. Singh said, adding that this negligence led to a delay in informing the police. “We are probing whether this was only negligence or deliberate,” he said.

The police also alleged there were a series of violations of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines at every step in handling cash. “The staff was outsourced and there was no SOP and basic training to them on how to handle any eventuality. There were no background checks before hiring staff, which is mandatory,” an official pointed out.