A gang of seven members in a daring late-night highway robbery took possession of a gold trader's car in Mangaluru and escaped with 180 grams of gold. The preliminary information is that the victim is Vikas, a gold trader in Sangli, Maharashtra. He had been travelling from Sangli to Payyanur in Kerala with his wife and child when the incident happened.
Police sources said the family was travelling in their car carrying a bag containing about 180 grams of gold. As they traveled on the highway near Mangaluru early in the morning, they were met by a gang in an Innova car.
The accused are believed to have planned the robbery in a planned manner. After stopping the trader’s vehicle, the gang took control of the car and seized the gold. CCTV footage from the area provided the investigators with crucial evidence.
In a very disturbing turn of events, the gang allegedly forced Vikas out of the vehicle at the scene before driving away. The trader’s wife and child were kept in the vehicle for some distance before being dropped off safely near Kuloor on the outskirts of Mangaluru.
Fortunately, neither the woman nor the child were injured during the ordeal. But the family felt very traumatised.
Police rushed to the scene and ordered a search operation immediately after the robbery. CCTV footage from multiple locations along the highway is now being investigated in search of the suspects and follow up on them following the crime.
Investigators believe the gang could have fled to Kerala or Bengaluru. Checkposts in neighbouring districts and neighbouring states have been alerted, and police have intensified vehicle inspections to trace the stolen car and recover the looted gold.
Officials believe the robbery may have been pre-planned, given the way the gang intercepted the trader’s vehicle and conducted the operation. The suspects may have had prior knowledge about the trader’s travel route and the gold he was carrying.
The incident underscores the increasing concern about organized highway robberies of people who travel by car with valuable goods. Police will question individuals and monitor surveillance of toll plazas and other such businesses as part of the investigation.
A case has been registered. We are trying to find and arrest all seven members of the gang. Further details are expected to emerge as the investigation proceeds.
