Couple Hijack Lorry With 2.5 Tonnes Of ‘Pricey’ Tomatoes By Faking Accident, Arrested

Bengaluru: A couple from Vellore in Tamil Nadu was arrested for allegedly hijacking a truck, carrying 2.5 tonnes of tomatoes, after faking an accident to extort money, here.

The incident took place on July 8 when a farmer from Hiriyur in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district was transporting the tomatoes to Kolar.

According to reports, the couple was part of a gang of highway robbers. They intercepted Mallesh, the farmer, at Chikkajala under RMC Yard police limits in Bengaluru and demanded compensation claiming that his truck had bumped into their car. When he refused to pay, the gang assaulted and pushed him out of the truck and drove away with 2.5 tonnes of tomatoes worth over Rs 2.5 lakh.

The RMC Yard police tracked the vehicle and caught the gang on Saturday on basis of a complaint lodged by the victim. The accused couple was identified as Bhaskar (28) and Sindhuja (26). The other three members of the gang – Rocky, Kumar and Mahesh – are on the run.