Police said the gang of robbers intercepted the truck carrying the container and then drove away with it

A gang of suspected interstate robbers has stolen a container load of cellular phones, estimated to be worth Rs 4 crore, in SPS Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, police said Wednesday.

The gang, comprising more than three members, waylaid the container-laden truck on the National Highway-16 near Dagadarthi in Nellore last night and forcibly drove it away by kidnapping the driver, they said.

The container was filled with a consignment of cellular phones manufactured at Sri City SEZ in neighbouring Chittoor district and was on its way to Kolkata.

Nellore district Superintendent of Police A Rastogi told PTI some criminals came in a car and brought along a lorry when they intercepted the container-laden truck.

The SP said they kidnapped the truck driver and drove the vehicle away and abandoned it near Bitragunta.

They also let the driver off, Mr Rastogi said.

"The cellular phones were reloaded into the lorry the miscreants brought along and driven away," the SP added.

The truck driver called the police control room around 1 am following which the police launched a hunt to trace the gang and the lorry.

"It is likely that the miscreants are part of an inter-state gang. We have formed special teams to nab them," Mr Rastogi said.