Microsoft’s next-gen gaming hardware might be in short supply on UK retail shelves this coming Christmas following news that yet another shipment of Xbox 360 consoles has been hijacked shortly after leaving its depot in Lichfield, Staffordshire.
The stealing of this particular consignment of hardware—which is said to be worth around £750,000—comes hot on the heels of last week’s Xbox 360 robbery when a trailer full of Xbox 360 consoles—worth £260,000—was nabbed outside a depot operated by Hellman Worldwide Logistics (also the distribution company involved with the Lichfield robbery).
This latest and vastly more costly robbery took place in the early hours of Monday while the shipment was travelling on the A38. Needless to say, the Staffordshire police are currently seeking witnesses to the robbery—though at 5am in the morning, it’s unlikely there was anything one the road beyond the shipment and the robbers.
The early-morning hardware thieves are said to have been three men driving a Range Rover and a Rover saloon, who signalled to the soon-to-be accosted truck driver to slow down by signalling there was something trapped beneath the wheels of his rig. The driver duly pulled over to check, at which point he was attacked before the gang sped off with his truck. The truck was later discovered, void of Xbox 360 content, on the A38 at Minworth, Warwickshire. The unfortunate—and somewhat gullible—truck driver was treated at a local hospital, but his injuries are said to be minor.
The authorities have not yet determined whether the two recent Xbox 360 robberies are related, but Peter Stevens of Staffordshire Police said: “We are appealing for information from anyone who is offered these games in suspicious circumstances, such as in a pub, at a car boot sale or off the back of a lorry.”
The managing director of Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Martin Meyer, commented that an internal review had been ordered, saying: “As the police investigation is still under way, we do not wish to disclose any further information about the incident at this stage. However, I can confirm that as a business, the safety of our employees and our fleet is paramount. Therefore, following the event on Monday we have already begun a thorough internal review.”
Presently, neither Sony nor Nintendo have claimed responsibility for the two robberies, although the truck driver did indicate that two of the gang were wearing overalls and spoke with Italian accents. That’s not true…we just made that up.
