In a filmi style, a gang of highway robbers allegedly made away with a consignment of about 7,500 mobiles of Xiaomi brand worth about ₹6 crore, after intercepting a container and assaulting its driver, before decamping with the booty in a lorry.
The container was found abandoned near Nagari near the Tamil Nadu border.
According to information, the container bound to Mumbai left the Xiaomi factory at Sriperambudur in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday night.
The gang allegedly intercepted the vehicle by parking a lorry across the Puttur-Chennai National Highway.
When the container driver, identified as Iqbal, alighted from the vehicle to clear the blockade, the gang allegedly pounced on him, tied him up and reportedly dumped him in the container.
The gang members then drove the container towards Nagari, crossing into Chittoor district, while the lorry trailed the vehicle. After reaching the outskirts of Nagari, the gang allegedly shifted eight boxes of cellphones from the container into the lorry and fled, abandoning the vehicle with some goods on the road.
The injured driver came to his senses on Wednesday afternoon and rushed to the Nagari police station.
Mr. Iqbal reportedly told the police that he was threatened with a revolver, when he tried to resist the attack by the gang members.
CCTV footage
Circle-Inspector (Nagari rural) M. Rajasekhar told The Hindu that they were verifying the CCTV camera footage gathered from the national highway and the CLUES team was on the job.
“The loss of property would be ascertained after thorough investigation and recording the statement of the company personnel. Special teams have been formed to search for the elusive lorry carrying the booty and the accused,” he said.
