Apple-laden truck overturns in Punjab, 1,200 cartons vanish in 2 hours

More than 1,200 cartons of apple were stolen by villagers and passers-by after a Bihar-bound truck overturned on the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway in Fatehgarh Sahib on Saturday afternoon.

The Fatehgarh Sahib police registered a first information report (FIR) against unidentified persons on Sunday after videos of the incident went viral on social media.

Several people took to social media and said that instead of helping the driver and conductor the truck, people continued to pick apple boxes. The truck driver, who was injured, was seen begging people not to take away apple boxes, but to no avail.

The truck was ferrying apples from Jammu and Kashmir to Bihar, and when it reached the Rajendragarh village it overturned while avoiding another vehicle. Shortly after the accident, passers-by, people from nearby villages and even many other drivers stole apple boxes.

The manner in which people looted the truck after the accident was unethical, said Fatehgarh Sahib deputy of superintendent police (DSP) Amarveer Singh. “Police have registered a case and are trying to identify people from videos that went viral on social media. Police have identified five persons and teams have been dispatched to nab the accused,” he said.