Ujjain police crack Rs 31 lakh cigarette warehouse theft after two-month investigation

Ujjain police have cracked a major cigarette warehouse theft case with the arrest of two inter-state criminals and the recovery of stolen goods and cash worth approximately Rs 31.35 lakh. The breakthrough came after an intensive two-month investigation that took police teams across Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.

The theft occurred on the intervening night of June 6 and 7, 2026, at Maheshwari Marketing's premises near Nehru Park, Dashehra Maidan, which operates as a warehouse for ITC cigarettes. Unknown persons broke the warehouse gate lock and made away with 25 to 26 boxes of various ITC cigarette brands. Madhavnagar police registered a case under sections 331(4) and 305(A) of BNS following the complaint by Saurabh Maheshwari, and launched a detailed investigation.

The investigation, conducted under the supervision of Additional Superintendent of Police (City West) Guruprasad Parashar and City Superintendent of Police Madhavnagar Deepika Shinde, involved meticulous examination of CCTV footage and forensic evidence. Police discovered that the accused had used two stolen vehicles in the crime—a Mahindra XUV-500 stolen from Nagjhiri area and a Mahindra XUV-300 stolen from Dalauda in Mandsaur district.

After persistent efforts spanning multiple states, police arrested Rampal alias Rama, 32, originally from Pali, Rajasthan, currently residing in Pune, and Rehan alias Raja Thakur alias Raju Marathe, 51, from Mumbai, on August 12, 2026. Both accused have criminal records, including a car theft case in Umargaon, Gujarat, in 2023 and a cigarette theft case in Vijaypura, Karnataka.

Police recovered Rs 1.35 lakh cash obtained from selling the stolen cigarettes, a Kia Sonet car worth approximately Rs 15 lakh used in the crime, and ITC cigarettes of various brands including Classic, Gold Flake Premium, and Star Pro valued at around Rs 15 lakh. The accused confessed to the crime during interrogation. Police are investigating whether other accomplices were involved and tracing buyers of the stolen goods.