The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has busted a racket where drivers of container trucks ferrying construction material have allegedly been pilfering goods worth lakhs of rupees using an ingenious and intricate method. While one person has been arrested so far, the scope of the racket is expected to widen to several States.
According to Crime Branch officers, the Property Cell received a tip-off that construction material was being pilfered on a regular basis, causing losses to builders. Acting on the information, the Property Cell patrolled the Tagore Nagar stretch of the Eastern Express Highway for several days till they hit pay dirt on Wednesday.
“We saw a 16-wheel trailer carrying iron rods used in building construction parked by the side of the road on a desolate stretch, next to two cabins, which are detachable. However, both the cabins had the same licence plate number. We detained the driver for questioning and he confessed that he had picked up a consignment of 40 tonnes of iron rods from Nagpur to be delivered to a construction site in Kalyan, but sold two tonnes in Amravati on the way,” an officer said.
The driver, Udyogsingh Nath (28), described the modus operandi to the investigating team. Officers said the method was unheard off till date but, according to Mr. Nath, has been in practice for a long time.
“Mr. Nath left from Nagpur and got his consignment weighed at a government-approved weighbridge, which issued a certificate bearing his name and truck’s licence plate number, along with the weight of the consignment. After selling two tonnes of iron rods in Amravati, Mr. Nath drove to Tagore Nagar, where he had a second cabin for the trailer, with the exact same licence plate, waiting at a secluded spot. A cabin that pulls trailers has two compartments, a front seat and a space in the back. This empty back space was filled to the brim with sand to make up for the lost weight so the consignment weighs the same when it is received by the builder,” the officer said.
According to investigating officers, there are several cabins packed with sand in the back space being used by drivers, which have enabled the racket to run for a long time. On an average, a trailer driver makes two to three trips in a month. Iron rods sell for ₹40,000 per tonne in the open market, and even if the driver sells two tonnes for ₹25,000 each, he makes ₹50,000 on each trip.
Mr. Nath was arrested and charged with cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code. He has been remanded in police custody till March 19 and the Property Cell is working on identifying the other players.
