The police added that the accused would only steal consignments they could sell easily. (Express Photo)
The Navi Mumbai police claim to have busted an interstate gang that allegedly targeted companies which transport bulk orders for export.
According to the police, after arresting two persons from the gang, they recovered a consignment of agricultural fungicide meant to be exported to the US via Nhava Sheva. The consignment is reportedly worth Rs 1.64 crore and was stolen from a Taloja-based company in August.
Before this, said an officer, the gang is suspected to have stolen a consignment of copper wires worth Rs 1 crore from another company. The police are still on the lookout for the masterminds of the gang.
Deputy commissioner of police Tushar Doshi said the gang first got drivers employed with companies exporting large orders. Most of the drivers would be provided fake documentation so they could be hired.
Other members of the gang would then hire a godown, where the stolen consignment could be kept. Some members had the job of finding clients willing to purchase the goods. “All of them had their roles clearly chalked out,” Doshi said.
The police added that the accused would only steal consignments they could sell easily. “We have found that once, they stole a consignment full of air conditioners, but could not find a buyer for those. Hence, the driver, before leaving from the godown, would send a photograph of the goods he was to ferry. The main accused would then take the call on whether they had the contacts to sell off the particular consignment, and would ask the driver to come to the godown hired for the purpose,” Doshi explained.
Last month, the Navi Mumbai police had registered a case when the Taloja-based company lost the consignment carrying the agricultural fungicides on August 14. After the police registered an FIR, they started looking for the accused. Eventually they arrested Rampujan Chaudhary (26) and Vijay Amle (44) and recovered the entire consignment from a godown in Bhiwandi.
