SAMBALPUR: Sambalpur police on Friday arrested 12 persons involved in the theft of aluminium ingots and seized a truck loaded with the material.
Police have also recovered 15.32 tonnes of aluminium ingots valued at `25 lakh, two cars, 14 mobile phones and `55,000 from the gang.
Sources said on March 23 the gang intercepted a truck carrying the ingots from Vedanta Aluminium Limited at Jharsuguda in Mochibahal under Charmal police limits. They beat up the driver and cleaner and released them at Talsara in Sundargarh district even as they fled with the truck.
Sambalpur Police arrested Firoz Khan and his father Gulam Hussain Khan, the masterminds. Their interrogation helped police crack the case. The stolen ingots were traced to the godown of Dhanbir Rai at Kalunga in Rourkela and led to the arrest of other accused.
Source said while four of the arrested, Debraj Naik, Sarbeswar Mohapatra, Gargava Prasad Bagarti and Dhanbir Rai had bought the stolen ingots, Khan, Hussain, Mohammed Azad, Anwar Ahmed, Mohammed Wasim, Mohammed Sani and Trilochan Sahu were involved in the crime.
Police failed to locate the truck which the accused have reportedly sold off in Jharkhand.
The gang was involved in three such similar cases in Jamankira, Sason and Rengali police limits in the district.