He stole Rs. 64 lakh to live in a lap of luxury

Police crack ATM cash theft case; Accused had rented house in H.D. Kote with paramour

Mysore/Mysuru: The driver working for a cash management company in Bengaluru has finally been arrested days after he allegedly ran off with Rs. 64 lakh meant to be filled in ATMs. The arrested has been identified as 35-year-old B. Yogesh, a resident of Dodda Yelachenahalli village in K.R. Pet taluk of Mandya district. 

Yogesh was on the run and was arrested from H.D. Kote by Subramanyanagar Police (Bengaluru) from his rented accommodation. He was living in the house along with a woman with whom he is in love. Yogesh is already married and has children. The woman too has a child with her estranged husband.

He has been a driver with Secure Value, a cash management firm, for the last four years. Yogesh and three other staffers were assigned to load Rs. 1.7 crore cash into eight ATMs belonging to various banks on Feb. 2. While his colleagues were loading the ATM with cash near Navarang Theatre at Rajajinagar in Bengaluru, he took Rs. 64,61,900 and fled in an autorickshaw.

Well-planned theft: Police said that Yogesh was working with the cash management company as a driver and had been observing the timings and plotting the theft. Before fleeing with the cash, he disconnected the CCTV cameras inside the van so that his illegal act is not caught on camera. Later, he stuffed all the money inside a school bag he was carrying and disconnected the vehicle battery wire and locked the van before fleeing.

Inspector H.B. Sanjeevgowda told Star of Mysore that after stealing the money, he went to meet his aunt’s daughter with whom he was having an affair. Before that, he went to his house at Nandini Layout and gave Rs. 2 lakh to his wife and told her that he had to go out of station on an urgent work. He later picked up his paramour and travelled to Mysuru. 

Mysuru tour

In Mysuru, they booked a lodge and toured Srirangapatna and surrounding areas before leaving to Kukke Subramanya. Having a strong desire to lead a luxurious life with his girlfriend, Yogesh went to H.D. Kote — a rather remote area when compared to cities — and booked a rented accommodation and started a new life. Police said that of the money he had robbed, they could recover Rs. 36 lakh as Yogesh claimed that he had spent the rest of the amount. 

The Police were able to trace his location through his mobile network. Investigations have revealed that he paid a huge sum to a lawyer, who is also his relative to bail him out of the crisis situation. Police are now looking out for the lawyer. Yogesh also had a debt of Rs. 15 to Rs. 20 lakh and two cheque bounce cases against him.

The Police spoke with Yogesh’s wife and she was not aware of his affair nor did she have an inkling that her husband would take to crime to lead a good life with his paramour. She told the Police that Yogesh was deep in debts and was desperate for money. Police said that Yogesh had contacted his advocate to inform the money lenders that he would be returning  their money.