Hingoli police arrested eight individuals, including a former manager of an e-commerce company, for allegedly planning and executing the theft of a parcel-laden truck near the Bhendegaon Phata railway crossing on June 11. The stolen goods, along with the vehicles used in the crime, were successfully recovered by the police.
According to reports, a group of armed men intercepted a container truck transporting parcels. They blocked the vehicle’s path using a car, shattered its windshield with iron rods, and assaulted the driver and cleaner, both residents of Nanded. The assailants hijacked the truck and diverted it to an interior road, where the parcels were offloaded into a waiting pickup van. The driver was then tied up before the culprits fled.
Superintendent of Police (SP) stated that the case was solved through a combination of technical surveillance and information from local informants. The investigation revealed that the mastermind behind the heist was a former company manager. Using his insider knowledge of parcel truck operations, he coordinated the robbery. “He resigned from the company over a month ago and had orchestrated similar parcel truck thefts previously, which went unnoticed due to the absence of formal complaints or FIRs,” an officer explained.
In this particular incident, the ex-manager collaborated with a former driver and another former associate of the e-commerce firm. Posing as part of the routine logistics team, they contacted the truck’s driver to gain his trust and obtain real-time tracking data, which the ex-manager then passed on to the robbers.
Assistant Inspector of the local crime branch said the armed assailants overpowered the truck crew and stole parcels valued at Rs 7.77 lakh (USD 8,9000, along with two mobile phones worth Rs 19,000 (USD 219). “We’ve also recovered a pickup van and a car used in the crime, bringing the total recovered assets to Rs 22 lakh (USD 25,000),” he noted. The remaining accused have been identified.
In recognition of the swift resolution and recovery, SP awarded a Rs 10,000 cash reward to the police team.