Team News Riveting
Smartphones were not the top picks only in the e-commerce platforms; even criminals had an eye on the product.
Smartphone segment in India rebounded after the lockdown to touch an all-time high of 50 million units in the September quarter. The Chinese companies collectively held 76 per cent market share. During the on-going festival season, 1.5 crore smartphones were expected to be sold.
The craze however continued among the criminals also as a gang struck in a spectacular way on Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway and looted a truck load of smartphones.
The truck with over 14,000 mobile phones was bound for Mumbai from a manufacturing unit in Chennai. “The gang followed the truck and waylaid it at Melumalai near Soolagiri on Chennai- Bengaluru National Highway last night,” according to local police.
They attacked the driver and cleaner, pulled them out and immobilised them by tying them with ropes before hijacking the mobile phone-laden vehicle, the police said. They anyhow managed to free themselves with the help of the public and informed the police at Soolagiri station.
The police launched a manhunt and discovered the truck abandoned along the roadside near Azaghumalai, more than 10km from the robbery spot. However, the gang had shifted the mobile consignments before fleeing.
Though the exact number of members in the gang could not be ascertained, police suspect it could be more than seven. The investigating officials did not rule out the involvement of ‘Kanjar’ gang from Madhya Pradesh given a similar incident happening in the pocket earlier.
The looted phones worth Rs 15 crore had been manufactured by a Chinese sub-brand company.
