Six more accused in the mobile phone consignment robbery were produced before the judicial magistrate’s court in Hosur and remanded in judicial custody on Saturday, a week after they were arrested in Dewas district in Madhya Pradesh.
Four trucks involved in the crime were seized. But the consignment was already transferred to Bangladesh reportedly for sale of the phones in the black market there, said a police source involved in the investigation.
The police also dismissed reports in a section of the local media speculating that the case was taken over by the National Investigation Agency as baseless. It is a case of dacoity and robbery and is being dealt as that, according to a police source.
A Mumbai-bound consignment of mobile phones was lifted off the Krishnagiri-Bengaluru highway in Shoolagiri in late October by dacoits, who were traced to Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh. The consignment worth ₹15 crore from Kancheepuram was en route Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited. The consignment of 15 boxes of 928 mobile each, totalling 13,920 mobiles were stolen. The truck carrying the consignment was intercepted by another truck, the driver and the standby driver were attacked and the truck was stolen, police sources said.
So far, totally 10 people were arrested and two of them were released on bail. The remaining eight are remanded in judicial custody in Krishnagiri.
Among the six accused, Rajendra Chauhan, Bhavani Singh Hada, Kamal Singh Hada, and Hemraj Jhala were arrested in Sonakatch village in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh on November 29. Barath Aswani and Amir Khan were picked up the following day on November 30, in Dewas. All the accused were produced before the respective courts on November 30. On Saturday, they were produced before the judicial magistrate’s court in Hosur for remand.
One of the main accused Barath Tejwani was arrested from Delhi airport on November 18, while attempting to fly out of India. He was remanded to judicial custody and is currently lodged in Krishnagiri sub jail. Three other accused, Amitabh Dutta, Shah Jahan Mian, Mohammad Jahid, were arrested in Sonamura in Sepoyjhala district of Tripura.
While Dutta was remanded to judicial custody, Mohammad Jahid and Shah Jahan Mian were granted bail by the local court. The police are yet to challenge their bail.
