The RCF police, while tracking a dumper stolen from Mumbai, has unravelled a large-scale racket where dumpers were stolen from Mumbai and supplied at construction sites out of Maharashtra.
According to the RCF police, the dumper was stolen from the Trombay area last week, and the owner registered a complaint on the same day. In order to ensure speedy action, the owner had approached additional commissioner of police (east region), Quaiser Khaleed, during the weekly interactive sessions with people, which is an initiative of police commissioner Dr Satyapal Singh.
“On learning that the dumper was equipped with a GPS tracking device, we set about tracking its location. It first stopped on the highway for around 25 minutes, where we suspect that drivers were changed, as is often a practice with stolen vehicles. It then started moving again and went on up to Daman,” said Mr Khaleed.
As soon as the dumper stopped moving on Tuesday, the RCF police informed the Daman police about the incident, with instructions to keep a watch.
The Daman police then placed the area under surveillance and soon, three men reached the spot to collect the dumper. The police moved in and took the trio into custody and the RCF police was informed.
Further inquiries with the trio led to the discovery of eight more dumpers, all of them stolen from various areas in Mumbai. “One of the dumpers was stolen from Goregaon earlier this month, and we are making inquiries about the other dumpers,” said Dilip Yadav, senior police inspector, RCF police station.
All evidence gathered so far points to an organised racket wherein dumpers are stolen from Mumbai and then sold as per demand to construction sites outside Maharashtra, where dumpers are in huge demand. Drivers and registration plates are changed en route, the police said.
The police added that not all dumpers are fitted with GPS devices, making detection difficult once registration number plates have been changed.
The accused are currently in the custody of the Gujarat police, which is interrogating them in connection with some crimes in its jurisdiction and will soon be brought to Mumbai, Mr Yadav added.