Brand new mobile phones of Chinese brand, Xiaomi, worth Rs 15 crores were stolen by ten members of suspected 'kanjar gang' from Madhya Pradesh after way-laying a truck carrying the goods near a Tamil Nadu village, just 70 kms from Bengaluru.
Prima facie, it appears, the thieves had followed the truck belonging to DHL courier from its destination --manufacturing unit of Flex India in Sriperumbudur near here -- and attacked their target at a desolate place near Krishnagiri. The mobile phones numbering 14,400 were in an unpacked condition and was being transported to a firm in Mumbai for packing.
The incident took place at Melumalai village in Krishnagiri district on the Chennai-Bengaluru national highway in the wee hours of Wednesday. Krishnagiri district Superintendent of Police (SP) B Gangadhar told Deccan Herald that the gang of ten people waylaid the truck at the village and overpowered the driver and another person travelling with him. After driving the truck for about 8 to 10 kms, the gang transferred all the contents into their own vehicle and fled the spot.
After the incident sent shock waves, the Tamil Nadu Police formed nine special units to nab the accused. Some of the teams have rushed to Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra looking for the thieves. Police sources said the worth of the stolen mobile phones is said to be around Rs 15 crore.
"We have narrowed down on the accused and we are confident of securing them in the next two days. We have strong suspicion that the kanjar gang of Madhya Pradesh might be behind the theft of mobile phones. The incident has every footprint of the modus operandi of the gang," Gangadhar said.
He added that the mobile phones were being transported by the courier company to a firm for packing them in boxes. "These were unpacked phones. Once they are manufactured, they are sent to a firm in Mumbai for packing. After packing they are sent to various parts of the country for sale. So their exact worth is difficult to calculate as they were not packed units," the SP added.
Another police officer said the police launched an investigation after the courier company filed a formal complaint.
"We have sent teams to Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. The kanjar gang is known for criminal activities and we know their modus operandi. They usually follow vehicles from their original destination and way-lay them in the dead of the night," another police official said.
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