Karnataka bank heist: 3 held, manager among accused

In a major breakthrough in one of Karnataka's biggest bank heists, police have arrested three men-including a senior Canara Bank manager-for their involvement in the Rs 53.31 crore burglary at the bank's Managuli branch in Vijayapura district.

The burglary, which sent shockwaves across the region, took place between the evening of May 23 and the morning of May 25. According to the complaint the burglars made away with approximately 58.97 kilograms (58,976.94 grams) of gold ornaments worth Rs 53.26 crore and Rs 5,20,450 in cash, making the total estimated value of the theft Rs 53.31 crore. To avoid identification, the accused also took away the bank's CCTV NVR. A case was registered on May 26 at the Managuli police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.Considering the seriousness of the case, Vijayapura SP Laxman Nimbargi formed eight special teams under the supervision of senior officers.

In what marks the first big success in the case, police arrested three suspects, recovered two cars, and seized 10.5 kg of gold ornaments and melted gold bars valued at Rs 10.75 crore.Addressing the media, SP Nimbargi said the arrested include Vijaykumar Miriyal (41), senior manager, who had earlier served at Managuli branch and was recently transferred to Kolar, Chandrashekhar Nerella (38), a private sector employee, and Sunil Moka (40), a driver and Chandrashekhar's close associate.Chandrashekhar, a dismissed bank employee previously terminated for misappropriation, is known for gambling in casinos, including those in Colombo. Sunil, his close associate, worked like a personal assistant."Several others are still involved. The stolen gold has been distributed among the accused. We are actively working on tracking the remaining suspects and working to recover the rest of the gold," Nimbargi said.As the SP recounted the events, it sounded like a crime thriller unfolding scene by scene-complete duplicate keys, decoy works, and a movie-inspired heist plan.The plot had its genesis as early as February.