NEW DELHI: Despite the rapid growth of the digital era, where online transactions and digital payments dominate everyday life, incidents resembling the daring robberies of the popular series Money Heist continue to unfold in real life across India. From crowded marketplaces in Delhi to highways in Surat and banks in Karnataka, several high-value robberies in recent months reveal how criminals are still targeting large cash movements, businesses, and individuals. A series of such incidents reported by TOI highlights how armed gangs are carrying out carefully planned robberies using deception, intimidation, and violence across multiple cities.
Chandni Chowk daylight robberyOne of the most shocking incidents occurred in Delhi’s bustling Chandni Chowk area, Delhi’s Chandni Chowk area when three armed men stormed a textile businessman’s office in the Katra Neel building and looted around Rs 35 lakh. The attackers first fired gunshots at the office’s glass windows to break in and then forced the gate open by kicking it.
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Two of them entered the office while the third waited outside. At gunpoint, they threatened the businessman and two staff members present inside and searched the premises before finding a bag containing the cash. The robbers fled with the money, allegedly escaping on a motorcycle through the crowded market lanes. Police reached the spot after receiving a PCR call around 2.30pm and have launched an investigation, with CCTV footage being examined to identify the suspects.Model Town robbery inside shopIn northwest Delhi’s Model Town area, a 22-year-old shopkeeper was robbed of Rs 14 lakh inside his store by three unidentified men. The suspects entered the shop pretending to update their Aadhaar details.
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Once inside, one of them locked the door, while another pointed a gun at the shopkeeper and the third threatened him with a knife. The robbers then took the cash and fled the scene. Police have registered a case and are examining CCTV footage from the shop and nearby areas to identify the suspects. Connaught Place restaurant theftA separate robbery occurred in Delhi’s Connaught Place in the early hours of the morning when masked men targeted a restaurant.According to the complaint filed in the case, the incident took place around 4am when four men carrying knives entered the premises.
An employee who was sleeping on the mezzanine floor heard suspicious noises and went downstairs to investigate. When he reached the ground floor, he saw four masked men standing near the cash counter.After the employee raised an alarm, the suspects fled the restaurant by jumping over a wall near the kitchen area. The robbers managed to escape with approximately Rs 6.7 lakh in cash.Security personnel and staff searched the area immediately after the incident, but the suspects had already fled.Robbery using false accusation in north DelhiIn another unusual case in north Delhi, a businessman’s employee travelling with a large amount of cash and valuable items was robbed by a group that used a distraction tactic.The victim, who worked for a mobile store in Jammu, was travelling to Timarpur carrying two bags. One bag contained Rs 15 lakh in cash and 22 packed Apple iPhones worth around Rs 30 lakh.As he got off a bus, the gang followed him in an autorickshaw. The group then surrounded him and falsely accused him of molestation and assault.While the women in the group created a scene to attract attention and distract bystanders, the male accomplices fled with the bags containing the cash and mobile phones.Police later arrested five people, including three women, in connection with the case. During interrogation, investigators learned that the robbery had been planned in advance after the gang identified the victim as someone carrying valuable goods during the bus journey.Rohini cash robberyAnother robbery involving a large cash transaction took place in Rohini, Delhi. In this case, a man carrying Rs 8 lakh to deliver to his employer was targeted by a group of criminals.While he was travelling towards Vijay Vihar after collecting the money near a hospital, a group of men confronted him and threatened him with a knife.The robbers took the cash and fled the scene. Following the incident, police launched an investigation and began examining CCTV footage from nearby locations.After analysing footage from more than 100 cameras, police eventually arrested four suspects. Investigators found that one of the accused had prior knowledge of the victim’s cash movement and had tipped off the gang about the transaction.Armed break-in in GurgaonAnother robbery was reported in Gurgaon Sector 23, where a private school teacher and his family were targeted inside their home.Three armed men broke into the house at night by entering through a window. After entering the house, the suspects moved through the rooms before confronting the family.The criminals threatened the occupants and looted gold jewellery and cash before escaping.Police later registered a case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to robbery, house-breaking, and criminal intimidation. Investigators began examining CCTV footage from the surrounding area to identify the suspects.Robbery Near Crawford Market in MumbaiIn Mumbai, police solved another major robbery involving Rs 50 lakh near Crawford Market in south Mumbai.The victim, a businessman dealing in precious metals, was intercepted by two men posing as law enforcement officers. The suspects forced their way into his car, threatened him with weapons and assaulted him before stealing a bag containing the cash.
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They escaped using a car with a fake number plate.Based on CCTV footage, mobile tracking and local intelligence, police identified the accused as Javed Salim Lakhani, Sameer Damodar Jadhav, Sagar Damodar Jadhav and Vikas Shankar Bane.All four were arrested in a coordinated operation and produced before the Esplanade Court. During interrogation, police recovered Rs 28.16 lakh in cash, several firearms, live cartridges and clothing used to impersonate officials.Angadia Robbery in Navi MumbaiAnother incident in Maharashtra involved the robbery of an angadia courier carrying cash.The victim had gone to deposit Rs 31.73 lakh at an ATM in Juinagar when six men arrived in an SUV. One of them posed as a police officer and claimed the cash was unaccounted for.The gang forced the victim into their vehicle and drove along Palm Beach Road. During the journey, they assaulted him and snatched the bag containing the money before abandoning him on the road.Police registered a case and began examining CCTV footage to trace the suspects.Kharghar Dacoity CaseIn another Maharashtra case, a gang posing as police officers robbed a sugar trader from Sangli of Rs 13.2 lakh in Kharghar.The victim had been approached earlier by individuals offering to sell gold at discounted prices. They suggested that he carry cash in case digital payment did not work.When the victim arrived at the meeting point, six men posing as police officers claimed they were conducting a raid for carrying unaccounted cash. The gang assaulted him and stole the money.Police later arrested three suspects and began investigating the wider gang.Tobacco agency robbery in BiharIn Bihar’s Samastipur district, three masked robbers stormed the office of a tobacco wholesaler and looted Rs 4.5 lakh along with a laptop.The attackers arrived on a motorcycle and entered the office shortly after collection money had been delivered by a vendor.Inside the office, one robber confined the owner in a room while another threatened his brother with a pistol and forced him to open the cash counter.The third accomplice collected the money before locking the main door and fleeing the location. The robbers had covered their faces, making identification difficult.Police later seized CCTV footage from outside the office and launched raids to trace the suspects.Surat highway robberyA carefully planned robbery also occurred in Surat’s Rander area when two brothers travelling in an SUV were robbed of Rs 35 lakh.The victims had collected the cash from an angadiya firm and were returning when a motorcycle deliberately rammed into their vehicle from behind.Believing it to be a road accident, the brothers stopped their car to assist the fallen rider. During the confusion, two accomplices smashed a window of the SUV and grabbed a bag containing the cash.At the same time, the motorcyclist and his associate disappeared from the scene, revealing that the collision had been part of a planned robbery.Police teams later began reviewing CCTV footage from nearby shops and residential societies to identify the suspects.
Massive cash van heist in BengaluruOne of the most dramatic robberies occurred in Bengaluru, where criminals posing as officials looted Rs 7.1 crore from an armoured cash van.The robbery took place while the vehicle was transporting cash from a bank branch in JP Nagar to HBR Layout.
The criminals blocked the van on a busy road and approached the staff while posing as officials investigating alleged violations of financial regulations.They convinced the van’s staff to cooperate and directed them to travel to another location for questioning. During the process, the suspects separated the staff from the vehicle.At gunpoint, they transferred the cash boxes into another car and fled the scene. Investigators later found that the operation had been planned over several months with extensive reconnaissance.SBI bank robbery in KarnatakaAnother major robbery occurred in Vijayapura district in Karnataka when three masked robbers stormed a branch of the State Bank of India.The criminals entered the bank pretending to fill out a form before suddenly pulling out a pistol. Two accomplices then joined him and threatened the staff and customers.
They forced employees to open the cash registers and the jewellery safe before tying up the people inside the bank.The robbers escaped with Rs 1 crore in cash and approximately 20kg of jewellery.Police later formed multiple teams to track the suspects, who reportedly fled towards Maharashtra in a vehicle with a fake number plate.A growing patternThe series of robberies reported across cities including Delhi, Gurgaon, Maharashtra, Bengaluru, Samastipur, Surat a reveals a growing pattern of organised and opportunistic crimes targeting cash movements and businesses.Despite the increasing adoption of digital payments in India, large amounts of physical cash continue to circulate in markets, transport businesses and commercial transactions. Criminal groups are exploiting this reality through carefully planned robberies, impersonation tactics and violent intimidation.Law enforcement agencies in several cities have launched extensive investigations involving CCTV analysis, technical surveillance and multi-state operations to track down the suspects involved in these crimes.The incidents highlight the need for stronger security measures, greater caution during large cash transactions and improved surveillance in commercial areas. As authorities continue their investigations, these cases serve as a reminder that even in a digital age, real-life heists resembling cinematic crime dramas remain a persistent challenge.
