Steel traders of Navi Mumbai have alleged increase in highway robberies of steel during transportation that has been causing significant losses to them. The traders have claimed that a mafia of scrap dealers are behind the robberies which is going unchecked by the police officials. One of the traders cum activist Deepak Singh has been approaching Navi Mumbai police and state government since 2022 requesting them to look into this mafia which is going unnoticed by the police.
A recent incident of similar theft of an 18-wheel trailer loaded with 33 metric tonnes (MT) of steel has prompted Singh to again take up the issue and write to Navi Mumbai police commissioner. On November 16, a gang stole a trailer carrying steel worth 23 lakhs from the Uran Phata Bridge at Nerul. The consignment, picked up from Taloja, was en route to Powai when, on the Mumbai-Pune stretch of the Sion-Panvel Highway, near the Uran-Phata flyover, four men in a Wagon R intercepted the trailer. The unidentified assailants falsely claimed that the trailer had collided with their vehicle. The accused had forced the driver out of the trailer, and when he resisted, they physically assaulted the driver and cleaner, took control of the trailer, and drove off. Even as the police has traced the trailer from Thane, the material has not been traced nor the accused
“In some cases, the driver is hand in gloves with the accused but in cases where the drivers are not involved, the accused assault the driver and cleaner. On an average, 1 MT of steel is stolen from every consignment, but now the situation has worsened with entire trailers being hijacked,’ Singh added. He said that the modus is that the scrap dealers have a mafia to steal these materials and then sell it to retailers in lesser rate. “The steel sector pays nearly 15% GST. Cant our materials be protected,” questioned Singh.
In 2022, Singh’s consignment of steel worth Rs 19 lakhs was stolen. “Although the trailer was recovered after a FIR was filed with the police, steel worth Rs 5 lakhs is still missing. We end up making losses due to this,” Singh said.
He further pointed out that steel cannot be sold without proper documentation. “The presence of stolen steel in the hands of local scrap dealers needs to be investigated and the scrap dealers operating without proper license need to be found,” suggested another steel trader. Meanwhile DCP Zone 2, Prashant Mohite, said, “We will look into the complaint and do needed investigation.”
