Raipur: Police in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur have arrested two men for allegedly diverting and illegally selling a truckload of 35.87 tonnes of sponge iron worth approximately ₹7.07 lakh. Instead of delivering the consignment to Maharashtra, the accused allegedly sold it in the Urla industrial area and fitted the truck with a fake number plate to conceal its identity. Police seized ₹50,000 in cash, the truck bearing the forged registration plate and other property collectively valued at around ₹15 lakh.
According to police, a private company had loaded the sponge iron onto truck CG 08 AT 3321 for transportation to Maharashtra. During transit, the driver allegedly cited illness and other excuses before failing to deliver the consignment to its intended destination. Contact with both the driver and the vehicle owner was subsequently lost, prompting the company to lodge a complaint. Urla Police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched an investigation.
Acting on technical evidence, documentary records and sustained questioning, investigators detained vehicle owner Guman Sahu and his associate Mohammad Mukhtar. During interrogation, both allegedly confessed that they had conspired with driver Rahiman Sahu to sell the sponge iron before it reached its destination. To avoid detection, they reportedly replaced the truck’s original registration plate with a fake one to disguise the vehicle’s identity.
Police further discovered that the accused had continued paying the truck’s finance instalments even after the alleged misappropriation. Investigators said these financial transactions provided a crucial lead, ultimately enabling them to unravel the case and trace those involved.
The two accused have been produced before a court, while police continue to search for absconding driver Rahiman Sahu and other suspected accomplices. Investigators are also examining who purchased the diverted sponge iron, whether additional individuals were involved in the conspiracy and whether the accused were linked to similar offences in the past. Further analysis of seized documents and other evidence is underway to identify the full extent of the network.
