Burla Police have solved a major theft case involving nearly 30 tonne of steel wire rods worth around Rs 35 lakh with the arrest of Pradip Tripathy (53) of Shantinagar, Budharaja, and Nisar Ahemad (40), a scrap dealer from Sonapali under Dhanupali police limits.
The theft came to light after Premsai Khuntia (30), a resident of Forest Park, Bhubaneswar, lodged a complaint on January 17. He reported that a truck carrying 27 bundles of mild steel wire rods (29.940 tonne) from Rungta Mines in Dhenkanal to Raipur on January 11 had failed to reach its destination by January 16.
GPS tracking revealed that the truck was parked near the Reliance Jio petrol pump at Goshala on January 12, after which both the GPS and the driver’s mobile phone went offline.
During the investigation, police found that the truck driver contacted Pradip Tripathy to illegally dispose of the steel. Pradip coordinated with Nisar Ahemad, and the consignment was unloaded in an isolated area near Goshala. The driver, Jhanak Nayak, later fled with the truck, abandoning it near Sohela Degree College in Bargarh.
Authorities have seized the truck and the stolen steel, while efforts are ongoing to trace the absconding driver.
