A gang of five persons decamped with a container belonging to Bharat Petroleum transporting lubricant oil worth Rs. 40 lakh here while it was on its way to neighbouring Gujarat, police said.
The container, costing nearly Rs. 20 lakh, was proceeding towards Gujarat when it was intercepted by the gang in the wee hours of Friday on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway near Parole village in the district, Virar police station assistant police inspector N B Dhone said.
The miscreants beat up the driver who was alone inside the vehicle, abandoned him on the highway and decamped with the container.
The driver later reported the matter to the owner of the vehicle and a case was lodged in connection with the loot yesterday, the officer said.
An offence under sections 395 (dacoity), 341 (wrongful restrain), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC was registered against the unidentified persons, he said.
A manhunt has been launched to nab the five unidentified persons, police added.
