In a breakthrough investigation, Bhopal police have successfully solved a theft case involving 1,661 boxes of Maggi noodles valued at Rs 11 lakh. The police have arrested three individuals, including Hitesh Moinani and Kamlesh Gaur, while the prime suspect, truck driver Raees Mian, remains at large.
The case began on December 9 when Shabbir, a transport businessman, filed a complaint stating that a consignment of Maggi noodles had been stolen. The truck, which was carrying the noodles from Sanand in Gujarat to Cuttuck in Odisha, was last tracked passing through Bhopal. When Shabbir noticed a toll deduction from his Fastag account, he became suspicious and checked CCTV footage from the 11 Meel bypass toll plaza. The footage revealed that while the truck was present, the consignment of Maggi noodles had gone missing.
Following this, police launched an investigation and soon discovered that the noodles were being stored at three locations in the Bairagarh area. A suspect, Hitesh Moinani, was detained, and he confessed to purchasing the stolen consignment. He led the police to recover 1,411 cartons of Maggi noodles. However, 250 boxes had already been sold to local retailers.
According to Hitesh, he purchased the stolen goods for Rs 11 lakh from Kamlesh Gaur, who, in turn, had bought the consignment from Raees Mian, the truck driver, for Rs 10 lakh. Kamlesh then stored the noodles at Hitesh’s warehouses after striking a deal.
Bhopal police have arrested Hitesh and Kamlesh, but Raees Mian, the driver responsible for the theft, is still on the run. Authorities have initiated a manhunt to apprehend him. The police also announced a reward of Rs 10,000 for anyone providing useful information about the missing consignment.