The police has initiated inquiries into the disappearance of more than 400 metric tones of imported white peas worth `94 lakh that went missing while the barge containing the consignment was anchored at the Yellow Gate docks. The grains are believed to have been stolen by criminal elements among the local fisherfolk, and the police said that such theft has now become a common menace at the docks.
According to the Yellow Gate police, businessman Sanjay Kundaliya (43)submitted a written complaint to the police station last year, alleging that 420 metric tonnes of white peas, which were part of a larger consignment of grains that he had imported from France, had gone missing.
Mr Kundaliya alleged that the grains had been stolen between October 27 and October 30, while his barge Orient 2 was docked at the BFL Anchorage. The disappearance of the peas was discovered when Mr Kundaliya unloaded the cargo and weighed the items, after which he discovered the difference in weight at the time of loading the goods and unloading them.
“We conducted inquiries into the incident, probing all angles and verifying the quantity named by the complainant. After investigations,we registered a complaint of theft against unknown persons on Wednesday,” said S. Bhandare, police inspector, Yellow Gate police station.
Moreover, the police is making also questioning fishermen near the Yellow Gate docks. “There are several criminal elements that live near the docks. They travel to anchored vessels at night using small fishing boats. They climb aboard the vessels, steal small amounts of whatever cargo is on board, and flee within minutes,” said an officer with the Yellow Gate police.