India, Dec. 27 -- It wasn't a Hollywood film set but a real-life heist pulled off by 35 armed men who made off with 40 tonnes of, not gold, but black gold, from a warehouse in Panvel, in the early hours of Tuesday. The dramatic robbery took place at a Customs warehouse in Shirodhan, in Panvel, where a confiscated consignment had been stored since 2022 for failure to pay Customs duty.

According to the First Information report (FIR) registered with the Panvel City police by the Nhava Sheva Customs superintendent Raman Himmat Kaushik, the theft took place at 2.30 am. Police said a trailer and four tempos had arrived at the warehouse in the dead of night, and 30 to 35 men got out. Three of them are said to have manhandled the security staff ...