A CID inspector among the three held in a ₹20 crore robbery bid in Bengaluru

An inspector from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) allegedly colluded with at least two others on Thursday to rob ₹20 crore from men from Kerala state in Madiwala in southeast Bengaluru, police said.

Madiwala police arrested CID inspector Mahesh Kanakagiri and his accomplices Kupendra Reddy and Vasanth Kumar. However, a source in the department told The Hindu that several others may be involved, which is being verified. A special team has been set up to investigate the case.

According to sources, the accused inspector along with the other accused allegedly went to a private hotel and entered the complainants’ room. The accused allegedly claimed to be local police officers, assaulted the victims and robbed them of money. “It is suspected that the inspector was sitting inside the car in uniform. His exact involvement is being investigated,” said a police officer.

The victims filed a complaint at the Madiwala police station following which Mohammad Sujeetha, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Southeast Division, formed a special team. The team quickly nabbed the two accused while the inspector was on the run. However, Mahesh was tracked down and arrested on Friday evening.

The police placed the accused in the BNS sections dealing with fraud, intimidation, assault and criminal association.

Mr. Singh said the police have recovered the entire amount as well as the car used in the crime. Sources said the vehicle was a government car. A senior officer told The Hindu that the accused inspector, who is currently posted at CID, was earlier serving as Station House Officer (SHO) at a police station in Southeast Division. He was later transferred to the Office of the Commissioner of Police following certain allegations.

Preliminary information revealed that the accused inspector received a tip-off from one of his former informants that the complainants were carrying large amounts of cash, on the basis of which the plan was allegedly hatched.

Mr Singh said the police were also investigating the source of the money found with the complainants and the reasons why they kept it with them. The complainants claimed that they brought the money for trading because one of their friends told them about the high returns from trading.

Published – 20 Jun 2026 0:04 IST