I’m pretty sure everyone’s seen a tunnel being dug up, safe lockers being broken with uttermost patience and precaution, a whole robbery being planned out, scenes in movies, and I really hope no one’s missed Netflix’s Money Heist, that’s some deal-breaker content that I have come across.
With all the planning and plotting that we have seen in films, people have actually taken inspiration from them to execute real-life heists. And very soon looking at our recent history that is full of real-life robberies, we might just be able to churn out an epic blockbuster movie of our own, we will no longer need Spain for a great heist film then.
Here are some legendary real-life robberies that took place in India, some were so smart and mastered that those cases required a whole special police team just to solve the crime.
Punjab National Bank – Rs 100 Crore Burglary
This epic heist took place in 2014, where four thieves dug their way through a 125-feet-long tunnel that led them straight to Punjab National bank in Sonepat district.
Within an hour, they cleaned out 89 lockers without breaking them, stole valuables and cash worth Rs. 100 crore. They started digging the tunnel from a nearby unoccupied house the robbery took place over the weekend.
It took the police months to track them down; three of the alleged robbers were arrested but the mastermind was found dead. Filmy much? Police managed to recover almost all of the valuables such as jewelry and bonds but the cash was never found. This was said to be the most skillfully carried out heist though.
The Great Moving Train Heist
In August 2016, Rs. 350 crores of The Reserve Bank of India was being transferred from the Salem-Chennai Egmore Express, they were soiled notes, that were to be destroyed. The journey started from Salem. There were two carriages one filled with the notes and the other with RBI officials and the Railway Police.
The robbery took place on the moving train. There was this gang of robbers that cut through the roof of the particular coach where the solid cash was kept, with the help of a gas burner. They managed to steal Rs. 5.75 crores. After an intense two-year search none of them were found. To their bad luck, demonetization was announced.
“Our investigation revealed that they had bought immovable properties for ₹1.78 crores, in their native villages in Madhya Pradesh. We are ascertaining the facts and will gather the necessary evidence.
They also burnt ₹2 crores of the cash as they were unable to deposit it in the bank or use the money,” said an official after the CB-CID team caught seven members of the gang. It was not possible for them to spend all that cash without raising a few eyebrows.
Movie Dhoom- Inspired Bank Heist
This robbery took place in South Malabar Gramin Bank’s Chelembra branch, in 2007. It was inspired by the movie Dhoom. Four people rented out a restaurant that was on the ground floor of the building, the bank was on top of the restaurant.
Now comes the fun part, these four people shut the restaurant down the reason being they had to do some ‘renovations’- they had also brought some furniture and material for construction along, they were full in character gotta give them that.
They then proceed to dig a hole on the roof that opens to the vault of the bank. They stole 80 kgs of gold plus Rs. 50 lakhs hard cash. Eventually, they were all arrested and 80% of gold and cash recovered.
“We have excelled far better than the cunning brain of the prime culprit in the case, Joseph. It was a meticulously planned robbery with a very neat plot,” said district police chief P Vijayan.
Also Read: RBI Cash Stolen in Filmy Style: Around 5.75 Crore Gone
1987 Ludhiana Bank Heist
This for sure will make a great heist film. Labh Singh was the mastermind who pulled off the biggest bank robbery back then. He was a former Punjab police officer who turned militant and then became the chief of Khalistan Commando Force (KCF)
12 members of KCF, entered a PNB branch located in Ludhiana, all dressed as policemen, and robbed the bank clean, stealing away Rs. 6 crores, for 1987 this was a huge amount.
The money was never recovered, most of it was used to get weapons and ammunition for the KCF. Over the years, most of the robbers were killed in various encounters with the authorities.
The Samsung Truck Robbery
A truck was halted by a group of robbers, the truck was carrying Samsung phones, televisions, and other electronics, from the Indira Gandhi Airport to Noida when it was stopped by a few people at Sarita Vihar who were trying to get a lift. This happened on the 1st of April, 2015, talk about a prank going horribly wrong.
The driver and his assistant were beaten up, the group fled with the truck, disabled the GPS. The truck had goods worth Rs. 25 crores that were never recovered.
These heists were carried out by some people who were not only good at robbing but were also good at covering up their tracks. The robberies were not done by amateur robbers but by some experienced masterminds that planned the heists for months.
Image Sources: Google Images
Sources: Money Control, Mensxp, GQ India, +More
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This post is tagged under: Greatest Indian, real-life, heists, Netflix, deal-breaker, content, Money Heist, robbery, Spain, films, blockbuster, Punjab National Bank, Sonepat, South Malabar, Gramin Bank, Chelembra, Dhoom, restaurant, character, Ludhiana Bank Heist, Labh Singh, KCF, Noida, Samsung Truck Robbery, Indira Gandhi Airport, Moving Train Heist, Salem-Chennai Egmore Express, soiled notes, Reserve Bank of India, demonetization, CB-CID team, district, Samsung phones, televisions, GPS
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