In a swift operation, Chomu police have recovered a truck stolen from the premises of the District Transport Office (DTO) and arrested the accused thief, who had previously committed a similar theft at the same location in 2013, officials said on Thursday.
DCP (West) Hanuman Prasad Meena said a special team was constituted to trace the stolen vehicle. Acting on leads, the team arrested Mukesh Kumar Gurjar (40), a native of Shahpura, currently residing in Harmada, and recovered the stolen truck from his possession.
Police said Gurjar has five previous criminal cases registered against him and had a record of vehicle thefts in the region.
According to the complaint filed by Subhash Singh, a guard at the DTO, the truck—seized by the transport inspector on September 8 for carrying 28 tonnes of salt without valid documents—went missing from the DTO premises the following evening.
The special team analyzed CCTV footage and gathered technical evidence, including toll plaza camera recordings, that showed the truck passing through checkpoints after the theft. Based on this evidence, the police traced and apprehended Mukesh Kumar Gurjar.
Investigators later confirmed that Gurjar had carried out a similar theft at the same DTO office in 2013, demonstrating a repeat offense pattern.
DCP Meena commended the investigating team for their quick action and evidence-based investigation, which led to the recovery of the vehicle and the arrest of the habitual offender.
