New Delhi: Around 1,600 iPhones worth Rs 12 crore were stolen from a truck which was enroute to north India from Hyderabad. The robbery reportedly took place in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district, police said on Sunday. A security guard is said to be among the accused and teams have been formed to arrest him.
The incident was reported to the police on August 15, the day of the robbery, but a case was not registered for 15 days, reportedly due to negligence on the part of police officials. The case was taken up after the intervention of a senior police official.
"We received info that 1,600 iPhones worth Rs 12 crore getting looted…The guard is said to be the accused…Teams have been formed and we are investigating the matter," Pramod Verma, Inspector-General of Police of Sagar Zone, said.
The security guard overpowered the driver with the help of his associates and carried out the loot. "The miscreants tied the hands and legs of the driver and looted the consignment of Apple phones worth Rs 12 crore which were loaded in the truck," a police official said.
"According to the information received, on August 14, a container UP 14 PT 0103 carrying iPhones had left from Hyderabad for North India. A security guard was also present along with the container driver. Another security guard was also to board the container mid-way. Near Lakhnadon (a town in Madhya Pradesh), the security guard in the container stopped the container to drink tea. The security guard introduced a person already present there as his colleague who was part of the security team. After this the truck driver left with both the security guards.
"At night, the driver parked the container on the roadside to catch some sleep. The next day, i.e. on 15th August, when the container driver woke up, he found his hands, legs and mouth were tied. Somehow the driver freed his hands and legs and when he looked back at the truck, its gate was open and the mobile phones were missing," the police official said.
The container driver immediately reached Bandari police station and informed about the incident but the police did not report the matter, the official said.
After several days, the news about the robbery reached Pramod Verma, Inspector-General of Police of Sagar Zone, who personally intervened and got the case registered at a police station. He gave instructions to the SHO to take action against the negligent policemen.