BENGALURU: A couple has been arrested by the RMC Yard police after they hijacked a mini-truck loaded with two tonnes of tomatoes and sold the goods for Rs 2.5 lakh. The incident happened on July 8, when the vehicle was passing Chikkajala. The accused are identified as Bhaskar (38) and Sindhuja (36).
“Farmer Mallesh, a resident of Challakere, along with driver Shivanna, had loaded the mini-truck with 2 tonnes of tomatoes to be taken to Kolar market from Challakere. When the truck was coming near Chikkajala, the couple along with three others noticed it and decided to hijack it and make quick money,” the police said.
According to their plan, they claimed that their vehicle had been damaged by the tomato-laden truck and waylaid it. They threatened Shivanna and asked the two victims to pay for the damage. Shivanna was taken to a nearby ATM, and compelled to withdraw money to be given to the miscreants, police said.
Even after Shivanna paid some money, the miscreants got into the truck, and took it to a deserted place, kicked out Mallesh and Shivanna and drove away.
“Based on a complaint from Mallesh, we started investigating and verified CCTV footage in the area,” police said, adding that the miscreants reached Vaniyambadi town in Tirupattur district, Tamil Nadu. A police team headed to Tamil Nadu and found that the gang had sold the tomatoes for Rs 2.5 lakh and then drove the truck back to Bengaluru and left it at a deserted spot in Devanahalli. It has since been recovered by the police.
While the couple is arrested and the SUV used to waylay the truck seized, the remaining three suspects remain at large.