Jeedimetla police officials with the seized road roller, and the crane and goods carrier vehicle used for committing the theft.
On the night of January 20, when the city was in slumber, a 9,000-kilogram road-roller went missing from the Industrial Park in Jeedimetla. Investigation into the case unravelled a racket that has been spelling big bucks for the culprits who turned the the behemoth machine into a Thermo Mechanical Treatment (TMT) bars that were later sold in Maharashtra.
The Jeedimetla police, on Thursday arrested Afroz Ahmed Patel, a 24-year-old gas cutter from Karnataka; Mohammed Ibrahim, a 31-year-old scrap dealer from Zaheerabad; Shaik Anwar, a 35-year-old DCM vehicle owner and driver and Balla Ram Satyanarayana, a 47-year-old crane owner, both from Quthubullapur. Their accomplice Syed Mustafa is still on the run.
The case came to light following a complaint by B Laxman, a 40-year-old driver residing in Balanagar, Medchal district. Around 10 p.m. on January 20, Laxman wrapped up his work at Shiva Shakti Timber Depot and parked the road roller bearing the number ‘AP 13 7212’ near the Jeedimetla Industrial Park, only to find it missing the next morning.
This is not the first time a big machine went missing in the city. About 1.5-2 kilometres from this location, another road-roller went missing a week earlier.
In a matter of hours, the machine was shifted to Zaheerabad where it would be converted into TMT bars used for construction and sold to ‘clients’ in Maharashtra for about ₹6 lakh, which was distributed among the gang members.
“The gang targeted heavy vehicles and particularly road-rollers as they are fully made of steel, a truck or other vehicle would also have parts made of plastic and other materials. The high-quality steel parts are cut and melted to make TMT bars that are high in demand in Jalna,” explained Jeedimetla Inspector G. Mallesh.
Smooth operation
The gang involved in both the thefts was operated by Ibrahim. The preparation began at least two months ago with Patel and Mustafa performing simultaneous recce at the two locations.
Satyanarayana arranged for two cranes to lift the road rollers while Anwar lent the medium truck which was used to transport the stolen equipment to the workshop.
In Zaheerabad, the machine was dismantled using gas cutters and the final product was sold to dealers in Jalna.
Although the gang ensured no bystanders were present during their job, they easily dismissed any questions posing as the owners and citing that the roller was being shifted for repair work, said the investigating official. “Generally, road rollers are slow, with average speeds between 5-10 kilometre per hour. They are moved in goods carrier vehicles or trains,” said Mr. Mallesh.
Following the complaint, footage from over 64 CCTV cameras along the escape route were analysed and technical tools were used to locate the accused. Not only did the police seize the stolen road roller worth ₹4.5 lakh but also seized the cranes, goods carried vehicle worth ₹30 lakhs which were used for the theft.
The police investigation revealed that the accused had financial difficulties and came up with the plan to steal heavy vehicles. The arrested individuals were produced before the court, and further investigation is underway to identify others involved in the racket.
Published – January 23, 2025 09:22 PM is
