BJP leader among 17 arrested in Bhilai Steel Plant scrap theft
A ruling BJP functionary was held in connection with the alleged theft of iron scrap worth several crore rupees from the public sector Bhilai Steel Plant in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 17, police said on Sunday.
Bhaskar Mudaliyar, a businessman from Vaishali Nagar in Bhilai whose vehicles had been operating inside the plant for a long time, was arrested on Saturday, Bhilai Nagar City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Satyaprakash Tiwari said.
“Investigators found links between him and vehicles allegedly used in transporting stolen iron scrap. Mudaliyar was questioned and subsequently arrested. The case involves an organised network operating both inside and outside the steel plant,” Tiwari said.
Following the arrest, BJP’s Bhilai unit spokesperson Vijay Singh said Mudaliyar, who served as treasurer of Vaishali Nagar mandal unit, has been expelled from the party for six years.
According to police, iron scrap was being stolen over the past four to five months by concealing it in consignments of flue dust.
The case came to light on May 26 after police, acting on a tip-off, raided the premises of AK Traders in Bhilai’s Hathkhoj area and recovered iron plates, beams, cutting material and other iron scrap loaded in trucks and heavy vehicles along with flue dust.
Around 250 tonnes of iron plates, beam cuttings and other iron materials were seized, while trucks, a JCB excavator, a Hydra crane and other machinery allegedly used for transporting and loading the stolen scrap were confiscated. The total value of the seized iron scrap, vehicles and machinery is estimated at around `3.22 crore, including iron scrap worth approximately `90 lakh, they said.
With Mudaliyar’s arrest, the total number of accused held in the case has risen to 17. The alleged theft of iron and iron scrap from Bhilai Steel Plant has been repeatedly raised by BJP MLA from Vaishali Nagar, Rikesh Sen.
In a series of social media posts on Saturday, Sen said he has written to central investigating agencies on the matter. Evidence relating to the case had been destroyed, while vehicles allegedly used to steal iron from Bhilai Steel Plant were dismantled overnight, he alleged.
While some accused in the theft case have been arrested, those responsible for looting iron worth Rs 10,000 crore are yet to be caught, he claimed.
In another post, Sen cited sources to claim iron worth several crore allegedly stolen from the Bhilai Steel Plant was recovered from a factory in Rasmada, adding that the factory owner who allegedly purchased the stolen iron had escaped action.
Sen further claimed, citing sources, that an official had accepted Rs 25 crore to protect the factory owner.
He further alleged that CCTV footage had been deleted three times and call detail records (CDRs) had also been erased.
“I do not have concrete evidence at the moment, but if evidence emerges, a very senior official could be arrested for the first time in Chhattisgarh’s history,” he wrote without naming anyone.
