Inter-state truck theft racket busted, 11 arrested

In a major breakthrough, the West Midnapore district police have arrested 11 members of an inter-state truck stealing racket from different parts of state. Few days ago, a truck owner had lodged a complaint with the Panskura police station, alleging that some unidentified miscreants had taken away his truck after beating up the driver and the helper.

The miscreants were dressed in the khaki uniform similar to policemen and had stopped the truck on National Highway 6. They then asked the driver and helper to step out of the truck. Considering them to be genuine policemen; they stepped out of the truck, but were beaten up by the goons.

Preliminary investigation revealed that some youth from Panskura were involved in the racket.

Police had conducted raids and arrested the four accused. After interrogating them, police got to know about the whereabouts of other members of the racket and arrested 11 more people from different parts of the state.

Police have recovered three four-wheeler vehicles and Rs 21 lakh from the accused. They are also trying to arrest the other members of the racket. A senior police officer said that the accused used different modus operandi at different times to flee with the vehicles after befooling the drivers and the helpers.

Investigation revealed that the gang mainly target trucks laden with expensive goods, as it helps them make double the money by selling the expensive materials and also by selling the parts of the truck.

The miscreants often take shelter in road side eateries or dhabas and spike the food of drivers and helpers when they sit to have food at the same dhabas and leave their trucks parked by the side of the highway.

As soon as the drivers and helpers fall asleep after having the spiked food, the miscreants flee with the trucks. By the time the drive or the helper would wake up, the miscreants would be off to another state.

Stopping vehicles by posing as policemen is a classic modus operandus of the accused who have been caught in the current case. Hence, police are trying to find the mastermind of the racket.

The Highway Crime Section of the Criminal Investigation Department would also interrogate the accused who were arrested by the West Midnapore police.