Bengaluru, July 22 : The Bengaluru Police on Tuesday claimed to have cracked a daylight robbery case involving the theft of Rs 2 crore from a businessman, and arrested 15 people in connection with the crime.

The police have also seized Rs 1.11 crore in cash, four cars, four bikes, and weapons used in the crime.

Investigations revealed that the gang was involved in conning wealthy individuals by promising to convert their cash into United States Dollar Tether (USDT) digital currency, and then allegedly doubling the amount and returning it via RTGS premium, along with GST.

Once the victims were lured by the promise and arrived with large amounts of cash, the gang would stage a fake robbery and steal the money.

A complaint was filed by a businessman on June 25 with the Vidyaranyapura police, alleging the robbery of Rs 2 crore. Following the complaint, police initially arrested two suspects near Jamia Mosque, who revealed the involvement of a 17-member gang.

Subsequently, police arrested seven more suspects from various locations, including Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Chikkamagaluru, Bidar districts, and Ajmer.

A manhunt is underway to nab the remaining accused.

The arrests were made by a team led by DCP (North East) Sajeeth V.J., ACP Narasimhamurthy, and Inspector C.B. Shivaswamy.

The complainant, 33-year-old businessman Sriharsha V. from Kengeri New Town, had raised Rs 2 crore through personal savings and loans from friends to invest in a cold-pressed oil industry.

According to the FIR, since the machinery required for the industry was available in Germany, Sriharsha intended to convert the cash into USDT. He approached his friends for help, and one of them introduced him to a person named Benjamin Harsha.

Benjamin assured Sriharsha that he could facilitate the transaction and asked him to bring Rs 2 crore in cash to MS Palya Circle in Vidyaranyapura on June 25.

Sriharsha arrived at the location around 3 p.m. along with two friends. Benjamin and his associates led them into a shop and began counting the money using machines.

Around 4.30 p.m., a gang of six to seven men barged into the shop and threatened Sriharsha and his companions, demanding the cash. When they resisted, two of the assailants brandished knives and threatened to kill them.

The gang seized their mobile phones and stuffed the Rs 2 crore cash into a gunny bag.

They warned the victims against reporting the incident to the police and threatened them with dire consequences. The gang then locked Sriharsha, Benjamin, and the others inside the shop before fleeing the scene.

/IANS