A dramatic highway robbery that went viral on social media led Egyptian police to a gang of six suspects, three of whom were shot dead during a shoot-out while the other three were arrested, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.
The hold-up took place on August 25 on the Cairo-Ismailia Desert Road, where the gang’s members in a green pickup followed a refrigerated truck carrying nearly four tonnes of frozen chickens.
One of the gang members climbed on the moving truck’s bonnet and, while it drove on the highway at full speed, opened the tailgate and threw bags of chicken to his accomplices in the pickup, police said. In total, the robbers got away with about 105 kg of frozen poultry.
What set the case apart was how it came to light: the truck’s driver had no idea anything was missing until footage of the theft, filmed by a passing motorist, began circulating widely on social media.
The clip’s resemblance to a car-chase action film quickly drew attention online, and the resulting public pressure helped spur an investigation.
Working from the viral video alone, investigators identified the six suspects — all of whom reportedly had prior criminal records — and traced them to hideouts in Cairo and the neighboring Qalyubia governorate.
When security forces attempted the arrests, the suspects allegedly opened fire, triggering a shootout that left three of them dead. The other three were taken into custody, and police recovered the stolen chicken, the pickup truck used in the robbery, and weapons at the scene.
The Cairo-Ismailia route is a major artery for commercial and food transport, and the case has drawn additional attention to security around Egypt’s refrigerated cargo network, given the risks unauthorized tampering poses to the cold chain for perishable goods. Eqypt Journal
