A lorry driver who allegedly took away copper rolls worth about Rs.5 lakh and claimed that it was stolen, was arrested by the Neelankarai police on Thursday. Soon after he committed the theft with the help of the cleaner, the lorry met with an accident. Both suffered minor injuries.
According to police sources, driver Sakthi alias Satish (25) of Villupuram district and cleaner Dharmendra (21) were transporting 47 rolls of copper, each weighing 50 kg and some iron materials on May 25 from Puducherry to Chennai.
On the way, Sakthi called the owner, Dharmendra Churana of Puducherry, to inform him that the lorry collided with a stationary vehicle near Muttukadu on East Coast Road.
After meeting Sakthi and Dharmendra at the hospital, Churana went to check the condition of the lorry and found the copper load missing. He lodged a complaint with the Neelankarai police. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Thoraipakkam) K.N. Murali formed a special team led by Inspector S. Sankaralingam to investigate.
The team found that Sakthi had unloaded the copper rolls before the accident and moved them to his relative's place near Puducherry. The load was booked to a godown in Broadway.
Stolen articles recovered
His plan was to claim that the load was stolen en route. Based on the information given by Sakthi, the stolen articles were recovered.
Police have also included Dharmendra as an accused in the case, the sources said.
