The Durg police in Chhattisgarh have arrested two Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) workers, including a general manager, over an alleged organised iron scrap theft scam. The total count of accused so far in the case has been brought to 15 with the latest arrests.
The arrested officials include Himanshu Bhushan Malik, General Manager, SM Siddharth Kumar, Engineering Associate at SMS-3. The investigation found that BSP’s iron scrap is being stolen step by step while transporting flue dust from a steel plant, said Durg Super Superintending police Vijay Agarwal.
The police report that the operation must have been ongoing for the past four to five months. The arrested was allegedly being involved in smuggling of iron scraps out of the plant using the vehicles loaded with flue dust for separating and storing the iron scrap for later sale and obtaining illegal profit.
The case first surfaced on May 26 when the information received by the police led them to AK Traders, Hathkhoj Industrial Area, Bhilai regarding the storage of BSP scrap in violation of the law. As searchers went through the trucks, officers found iron plates, beams and cut metal mixed in with flue dust in the trucks.
Authorities had seized almost 250 tonnes of iron material which is valued at around ₹90 lakh along with various trucks, Hyva vehicles, JCB and Hydra crane and apparatus used for separating iron scraps from flue dust. That’s likely to be followed soon by additional arrests, police said, as the investigation into the alleged theft network continues.