Karnataka: A couple from neighboring Tamil Nadu has been arrested for allegedly hijacking a truck carrying 2.5 tonnes of tomatoes after faking an accident in an attempt to extort money.
Karnataka: A couple from Tamil Nadu has been arrested for allegedly hijacking a truck carrying 2.5 tonnes of tomatoes after faking an accident in an attempt to extort money.
According to police information, the couple were part of a gang of highway robbers who stopped Mallesh, a farmer from Hiriyur in Chitradurga district, at Chikkajala on July 8 and demanded compensation after claiming that the vehicle had bumped into their car.
The truck belonged to Mailesh from Chitradurga district’s Hiriyur area, who refused to pay them after the fake accident. When the farmer refused to pay them, the gang assaulted and pushed him out of the truck before driving away with the vehicle loaded with 2.5 tonnes of tomato worth over 2.8 lakhs on July 8.
Based on the complaint lodged by the farmer, the RMC Yard police tracked the movement of the vehicle and zeroed in on the gang. The shipment of tomatoes were to be delivered to Kolar when the hijacking occurred.
Bhaskar (28) and his wife Sindhuja (26) were arrested on Saturday. Three remaining accused are on the run, the police informed. The Centre made several efforts to provide relief to consumers.
Mallesh was transporting tomatoes to Kolar when he was waylaid by the gang in Bengaluru.
It is worth mentioning that the retail prices have shot up to Rs 200-250 per kilogram in several parts of the country as the supply chain got disrupted due to monsoon rains and other issues.
