Jamshedpur, March 31 : A team of Tata Steel security officials and local police raided a scrap iron warehouse at Bhilaipahadi under MGM police station area and seized over 10 tonnes of iron rods manufactured by the company from the depot.
The police have also arrested three persons who were drivers of the multi-axle trucks engaged for carrying the consignment of iron rod from Tata Steel plant in Jamshedpur to various destinations in Bengal and Odisha.
Deputy superintendent of police (Patamda) Kailash Karmali said that acting on a tip off they formed a team and conducted raid. The scrap-iron warehouse from which premises the raiding team nabbed the three trucks while unloading the iron rods is located beside an IOCL service station along the NH-33 under MGM police station area.
It appears that some of the scrapyard owners (Taal) on the highway between the (Tata Steel) manufacturing plant and project sites, on the way to West Bengal, Sikkim and other parts of North East conspired with the truck and trailer drivers to pilfer materials like rebars, steel plates, Ferro Niobium, aluminium notch bars and tubes etc.
Scrapyard owners along with the agents and the drivers steal the Company�s property from the parked trailers. The scrap yard owners pay the drivers and others associated in the theft about 50% of the market value. These stolen products are worth crores and these are sold in the local market at a discounted price varying from 70-80% without any invoice and payment of taxes. Such theft leads to losses to the Company and also to the exchequer by way of evasion of taxes and creates black money.
Tata Steel appreciates the support and prompt action taken by Police Department in containing this organised crime. In the past, similar such raids were conducted at the Marine Drive in Jamshedpur, Namkum and Ormanjhi in Ranchi and Cyberbad in Telangana. The Company is committed to stop such organised theft of it’s branded products and will continue to support such concerted raids in collaboration with the Police and Government agencies.