Karnataka: Couple arrested for hijacking truck carrying 2.5 tons of tomatoes worth Rs 2.5 lakh

A Tamil Nadu couple was arrested for hijacking a truck with 2.5 tonnes of tomatoes after faking an accident in Bengaluru near Chikkajala.  The incident occurred on July 8 and the tomatoes in the vehicle were worth over Rs 2.5 lakhs.  

Karnataka Police arrested a couple from Tamil Nadu's Vellore district for hijacking a truck loaded with 2.5 tonnes of tomatoes after faking an accident to extort money from a farmer in Karnataka. The development occurred while tomato prices across the nation were rising as a result of unfavourable weather. The arrested couple were identified as Bhaskar (28) and his wife Sindhuja (26).

The duo was a member of a group of highway robbers who stopped Mallesh, a farmer from Hiriyur in the Chitradurga district, on July 8 and demanded payment, saying his truck had collided with their vehicle. Mallesh was assaulted and abducted by the gang when he refused to pay them any money, and the tomato-filled truck was taken along with them. Mallesh was shoved out of the truck close to Devanahalli after being made to send the money to them online.

The gang fled with the vehicle and took it to Chennai where they sold the tomatoes. They later abandoned the vehicle near Peenya in Bengaluru before escaping in another vehicle without a registration number plate. The farmer, Mallesh, was delivering tomatoes from Hiriyur to Kolar when he was stopped by the burglars in a vehicle.

The RMC Yard police in Bengaluru followed the movement of the car and identified the gang as a result of the farmer's allegation. After the pair was seen in the CCTV film, a police squad was dispatched to make the arrest.

The police team arrested the accused near Vaniyambadi town in Tamil Nadu's Vellore district. Three other suspects -- Rocky, Kumar and Mahesh -- were still absconding and police have launched a manhunt to nab them.

A case was registered against the accused under sections 364A (kidnapping or abduction) and 392 (punishment for robbery) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).