The Crime Branch Unit II on Wednesday arrested two people on charge of stealing copper rolls worth ₹37.50 lakh. The accused have been identified as Shameem Abdul Sattar Rajbi (38) and Abdul Hanif Shaikh (35). Their accomplice Jitendra, a truck driver, is still at large.
On January 12, KSH International Pvt. Ltd., a company in Taloja, had to export 189 rolls of copper worth ₹98.40 lakh to a company in Dubai. Jitendra was assigned to transport the consignment to the JNPT port. On the way, the accused entered the truck and stole 77 copper rolls worth Rs 40.08 lakh. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Nitin Kausdikar said, “The incident came to light when the consignment reached Dubai on January 23. KSH International Pvt Ltd was informed about the missing rolls.”
Senior Police Inspector Nivrutti Kolhatkar, who led the Crime Branch Unit II team, said a gang convinced Jitendra to let them steal a part of the consignment. Mr. Kolhatkar said, “Acting on a tip-off, we nabbed the accused and they confessed that they had paid ₹2.50 lakh to Jitendra. Only after we nab will we be able to confirm their allegation.”
The police recovered 72 copper rolls worth ₹37.50 lakh from a shed the accused had rented in Nhava Sheva. Mr. Kolhatkar said, “Another member of the gang handed over the five missing rolls to different companies as sample rolls. We are in search of him too.” Rajbi has been booked for theft under the jurisdiction of Panvel, Nhava Sheva and Uran police stations.
