An armed gang hijacked a truck carrying copper scrap worth Rs 32 lakh on Bellary Road in the early hours of Thursday.

According to the police, the truck (KA-04 A-3519) heading towards Hyderabad was intercepted by the gang on Nandi Cross Road, after the Devanahalli checkpost. They threatened driver Sreenivas and the cleaner and made away with the vehicle.

They dumped Sreenivas and the cleaner near Kolar.

According to Sreenivas, the gang members were speaking in Kannada, Telugu and Hindi and they had planned their operation well in advance.

Bangalore Rural Police have alerted all the checkposts and launched a massive search for the vehicle. Devanahalli inspector Venugopal told Deccan Herald, “We have formed two teams. One has left for Andhra Pradesh, while the other is working on a vital clue. We are sure to catch the gang in the next 24 hours.”