BHOPAL: Cops in Gwalior district of Madhya Pradesh are searching for a freight auto-rickshaw driver who has fled with 4000 eggs meant for supply to Indian Air Force (IAF) canteen.
A case of theft has been lodged at Morar police station by the sub-contractor who is entrusted with supplying vegetables and eggs through the main contractor to the IAF mess/canteen in Gwalior.
In his complaint, the middle-aged contractor has alleged that he hired the auto-rickshaw (loading vehicle) on December 9 evening from Banshipura area of Gwalior for supplying the 4000 eggs from market to the IAF canteen.
The auto-rickshaw driver identified as Mukesh Pandey, who told the contractor, about hailing from Morar town of Gwalior, immediately agreed to carry the eggs for IAF supply.
“Subsequently, I loaded the eggs on the auto-rickshaw and along with another pick-up vehicle carrying vegetables, milk and bread, dispatched them to the IAF facility. But instead of going to the IAF facility, the auto-rickshaw driver decamped with the eggs from near the Number 7 Road Crossing in Gwalior city,” the contractor mentioned in the complaint submitted to the Morar Police of Gwalior on Saturday.
Talking to The New Indian Express, the 50-year-old contractor said that he has been supplying eggs, vegetables, milk, bread and other food consumables to the IAF canteen, through the defence depot since last two decades. “I’m the sub-contractor for the main contractor, who operates from adjoining Jhansi in UP. Never in the last two decades, has any such incident happened? The auto-rickshaw driver fled with eggs while the other pick-up vehicle carrying milk, vegetables and bread in military escort stopped at a petrol pump for getting diesel. The auto-rickshaw who is named Mukesh Pandey, meanwhile, decamped with the 4000 eggs which are worth Rs 28,000. He has sold the eggs at half the market price in different shops of Morar town only, but is untraceable, despite police raids at his house,” the sub-contractor said.
While confirming the incident of theft of eggs meant for supply to IAF canteen/mess, the Gwalior additional SP Rajesh Dandotiya said on Monday, “that police after lodging a theft case, are searching for the auto-rickshaw driver, who has been named in the FIR.”
Importantly, the Maharajpura Air Station in Gwalior district is home to IAF's oldest Air Squadron.