17 tyres and rims stolen from two trucks at Rajura railway siding; both drivers booked

A total of 17 tyres and their iron rims were stolen from two inter-state goods trucks at Rajura in Chandrapur district. The theft took place on the premises of Lloyds Metal's railway siding. According to the complaint, the stolen items are worth about Rs 2.5 lakh. Besides the unknown thieves, the company has also suspected the two truck drivers, as their mobile phones have been switched off.

Rajura police have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Pushpendra Kushwaha and Deepak Kushwaha. The two have been named as the drivers and are under suspicion. No arrest has been reported so far.

The complainant, Rakeshkumar Devilal Rangdale, is 47 and lives near Shreya Complex on Ring Road No. 2 in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. He has been a supervisor with SVA Transporting Company for 12 years. The company has 19 vehicles, of which 10 ply between Chandrapur and Raipur.

According to the complaint, two of the company's vehicles, numbered CG 22 AK 7982 and CG 22 AK 9200, left Raipur with coal on October 8, 2026. After unloading the coal at Bhatia Coal Washery in Pandharpauni in Rajura taluka, they were to go to Lloyds Metal's Rajura railway siding to load cargo. Pushpendra Kushwaha and Deepak Kushwaha were deployed as drivers on the two trucks. Pushpendra is 24 and a resident of Sidhi in Madhya Pradesh.

From 11 pm on October 9, the phones of both drivers stopped connecting. At the same time, Imran Pathan, security supervisor at the Lloyds Metal railway siding, contacted Rakeshkumar and said that his vehicles had not yet reached the siding for loading. Rakeshkumar then checked the location of the two vehicles on GPS and found them parked at the site where Lloyds Metal's office is located.

At the company's request, a security guard went to the spot. Neither the drivers nor the tyres of the vehicles were there. A total of 17 tyres, along with their rims, were missing. On receiving the information, Rakeshkumar spoke to the company owner, Vinitkumar Jain, and went straight to the Rajura railway siding on October 10, 2026.

The inspection there showed that 8 tyres with rims from truck number CG 22 AK 9200 and 9 tyres with rims from truck number CG 22 AK 7982, 17 in all, had been stolen. Their value was put at Rs 2.5 lakh. As the drivers' mobile numbers were still switched off, the company suspected that they had colluded to steal the items.

Rakeshkumar Rangdale went to Rajura police station with the owner, Vinitkumar Jain, and gave an oral complaint. On that basis, police registered a case against drivers Pushpendra Kushwaha and Deepak Kushwaha under Sections 303(2) and 3(5) of the BNS 2023. Sub-inspector Laxman Subhash Lokare is investigating the case further.