Mandhata police recover 32.5 tons of stolen steel rebar, arrest five suspects

Mandhata Police in Pratapgarh district has busted a major theft racket by recovering 32.5 metric tons of stolen steel rebar and arresting five suspects in a coordinated operation that has sent shockwaves through networks involved in trading stolen construction material. The operation was led by Mandhata police station in-charge Dhananjay Rai following a complaint about a missing consignment.

According to police, a truck carrying 41.760 metric tons of rebar from Kodarma in Jharkhand to Satara in Maharashtra failed to reach its destination. Suspicion deepened when the truck driver kept providing different locations for the vehicle's whereabouts. A case was registered at Mandhata police station and investigation launched under the supervision of Pratapgarh Superintendent of Police Deepak Bhukar, Additional SP East Alok Kumar, and Circle Officer Raniganj Prashant Raj.

Based on interrogation and leads, police raided multiple locations and recovered the stolen goods. The five arrested individuals have been identified as Dharmendra Patel, Arvind Yadav, Naushad, Sanjay Shukla alias Sushil Shukla, and Ramajor Patel. The complainant positively identified the recovered material as the stolen consignment.

The recovery included approximately 16 tons from Ramajor Patel's basement, 3 tons each from Arvind Yadav's possession and Naushad's warehouse, 1.5 tons each from the warehouses of Dharmendra Patel and Sanjay Shukla, 3 tons from Rajkumar Tripathi's shop, and 4.5 tons from Devishankhar Mishra's premises. Tripathi and Mishra were not found at the scene and are being sought by police.

Investigation has revealed additional names connected to the network, and authorities have enhanced the charges in the case accordingly. Police say the operation represents a significant breakthrough not only in recovering the stolen rebar but also in penetrating the wider network involved in fencing stolen construction materials. Further investigation continues to identify all individuals involved in the racket.