In a sensational robbery suggestive of a high-octane action movie, a gang of unidentified thieves successfully robbed a moving Flipkart transport truck on National Highway 48. The attack occurred in Ranebennur in the Haveri district and electronics and mobile devices valued at approximately ₹24.91 lakh were stolen.
The Incident: The Midnight Madness on the Highway
The theft took place on Thursday, February 5, 2026, and the extent of the loss was evident following a thorough inventory check. The goods vehicle, registered as KA-22 D0666, was transporting a heavy shipment from Flipkart’s main hub in Bengaluru to its regional warehouse in Kotur village, Dharwad.
As the truck passed through the villages of Kakola and Motebennur at approximately 1:00 AM, the muggers supposedly tracked the cab closely. By means of specialized tools, they broke the “Linked Device” (an advanced digital locking system) at the back door of the truck on the move. As Malikajan Mulla was unaware of the breach, the thieves escaped with six large boxes full of premium smartphones and other luxury products.
Discover The Digital Alert
Although the crime was high tech, the first clue came in the form of a digital safety net. When the digital lock was tampered with, an automated alert was activated and sent to the truck owner’s mobile phone. But when the driver was informed and stopped the vehicle to the side of the highway to examine the goods, the thieves were long gone into the night with the loot.
Police Investigation and Issues
Superintendent of Police (SP) Yashoda Vantagodi said at the Ranebennur Rural Police Station, the formal case has been registered. “We look at the issue from all directions,” said SP Vantagodi. “But we are also investigating the logistical hiccups, which point to an organized group that involves moving-vehicle robberies.”
Unfortunately, there are no working CCTV cameras up in that part of the highway because of road construction and the situation has slowed identification. There have been some intriguing details, police sources said, including the absence of internal CCTV footage of the truck and the preciseness with which the digital locker was circumvented. Investigators are now reviewing footage of toll plazas in the vicinity, calling the transport staff into account to check if there was any internal collusion.
Escalating worries about Highway Security
This incident follows a spate of highway robberies in North Karnataka, including an increasingly attention-grabbing hijack of a container in Belagavi. The "moving-truck heist" tactic is especially terrifying for e-commerce behemoths including Flipkart and Amazon because it skips traditional stationary security.
Since February 7, the Haveri police have established specialized squads that track the suspects, targeting “highway gangs” that have typically worked near border regions of Karnataka and Maharashtra.
