Hyderabad: 6 held for stealing liquor worth Rs 70 lakh

HYDERABAD: Seven person were arrested for conning employees of Shawallace Company (United Spirits Ltd) and stealing 950 cartons of India-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) on Saturday. The accused committed the offence believing that there will be heavy demand for liquor during panchayat elections.
Rachakonda police said seven persons — businessmen Rakesh, G Sanjeev, drivers Sammaiah, Mohammed Munner Mohammed Majid, painter D Ravi Kumar, private employee C Nagesh were arrested for the fraud.
On January 18, B Ravi Kumar, commercial manager of United Spirits Limited, Malkajgiri, lodged a complainant stating that a consignment of 950 cases of IMFL left their depot, but did not reach the destination.
Based on driving licence and telephone numbers, Rachakonda police had nabbed the seven persons. During investigation, police came to know that Rakesh, Munner and Sammaiah were in financial crisis and they hatched a plan to steal liquor carrying containers and make money during panchayat elections.
Sammaiah, who knows an employee, Sadanandam at M/s Associates Roadway, who is the transporter for United Spirits Limited, checked whether there was any need for transport vehicles. After getting first hand information that United Spirits stock needs to be lifted, Rakesh and Sammaiah engaged a lorry and they used Majeed as driver. Both Sammaiah and Majeed went to United Spirits company’s loading point at Nacharam and claimed they were from Associates Roadways and loaded 950 cartons. Mujeed gave his driving licence copy while leaving the Nacharam depot.
“On the way, they took the assistance of Gandu Sanjeev, a friend of Rakesh, to dump the liquor cartons. With the help of Sanjeev, they dumped the cartons in a poultry farm near Vadkapur in Peddapalli district. They also destroyed SIM cards, which they had bought for the offence,’’ Rachakonda commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat said.
Rakesh along with Sammaiah left for Ballarsha, Maharashtra where they got the lorry repainted and later returned to Godavarikhani. Of the 950 cartons stoln, 849 cartons were recovered by police, while the rest were sold by the culprots.