In a dramatic development, six individuals were arrested by the Chennai Police in connection with a RS35 crore heist involving the theft of 5,207 Dell laptops from the Chennai Port Trust. The stolen laptops, originally imported on a foreign vessel, were taken by the gang after they forged transportation documents to steal the container carrying the goods.
The heist came to light on September 11, when Pon Esakkiappan, the operations manager at Chennai International Terminals Pvt Ltd, went to receive the container. The container, which had arrived at the port on September 7, was supposed to contain 5,230 Dell Notebooks. To his shock, the container was missing when he arrived, although port records indicated that it had already been handed over to the consignee.
Esakkiappan immediately alerted the Harbour police, and an investigation was launched to locate the stolen container and the laptops. The police soon realized that the heist was an inside job, with the gang having detailed knowledge of the container’s manifest and the internal operations at the port.
The investigation pointed to Ilavarasan, an employee of the handling firm, as the key player in the theft. Ilavarasan had forged the necessary documents to receive the container from the yard. He handed over the forged documents to Manikandan, one of the accomplices, who presented them at the port and successfully received the container. The gang then used a trailer lorry to transport the stolen goods.
After extensive investigation, the police managed to trace the stolen container and the trailer lorry, recovering the missing Dell Notebooks. A total of 6 individuals were arrested in connection with the crime. Among the arrested, three are from Chennai, two are from Tiruvallur, and one is from Dindigul. A manhunt is still underway for three other suspects, including Ilavarasan.
The arrested individuals were produced in court on Friday and were remanded to judicial custody. The investigation continues as the authorities work to identify any other possible individuals involved in this well-planned heist.
