Chelembra Bank Heist in India

In a bank heist in Chelembra, India, thieves managed to pull off one of the largest robberies in Indian history. They rented the space below a bank in 2007, pretending to be renovating a restaurant. After two months of preparation, they chiseled through two feet of reinforced concrete and made their way into the bank's vault. The robbers stole 2.5 million rupees and 160 pounds of gold bars, all of which were stored in safes. To throw off the police, they planted pro-communist materials at the crime scene and left a gold bar in a hotel room in a neighboring state, making it appear as though Maoist terrorists were behind the robbery.

However, their misdirection was short-lived, as the police intercepted a cellphone call from one of the robbers, leading them to a house where all four were hiding. The police arrested the culprits, including the kingpin of the operation, Joseph, and recovered 80% of the stolen gold and money. The heist was ultimately solved by the Indian police, who monitored telephone calls and traced a secret phone number to crack the case.