Mumbai: Crime branch officials arrested 9 men for robbing steel material used at construction sites and then splitting the profits. During the probe it was revealed that the accused gang used to rob the steel material after it was measured and weighed at the company during the collection of material. However, while in transit, the drivers of trailers would siphon off some of the material, thereby cheating the buyer.
On February 6, police received a tip-off that steel material imported by builders was being siphoned off by the transporting trailer’s owner/driver near Bhandup (W).
Acting on this tip-off, police made a special team to probe the matter and deployed policemen in plain clothes near Sonapur Lane in Bhandup, where the crime was suspected to take place.
Early on Monday, it was reported that a few materials from trailer loaded with steel was being unloaded, after which police raided the premises and nine people were arrested while the trailer— MH-46-AF-5473 was seized.
The nine arrested, including the godown’s owner, trailer owner, supervisors of the companies that dispatched and collected the deliveries. During the investigation, it was revealed that seven more people were accomplices to the crime, including the trailer driver and the store keeper of Siddhi Gaurav Enterprises.
Further probe shed light that over 2,850 kilograms of steel worth Rs 1.03 lakh was siphoned from an order of 28,270 kilograms.
Similarly, the gang had stolen 14,400 kilograms of steel worth Rs 4.74 lakhs from other companies as well. Police also seized a trailer and a tempo worth Rs 15 lakh and Rs 3 lakh respectively.
A case was lodged against the accused and they were booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Investigation also revealed, the theft was planned along with a few employees of the company and had been siphoning the steel materials for a long time. Police are now trying to ascertain the main accused of this scam and are investigating further.
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