Gondal cops recover stolen groundnut oil shipment in Rajasthan

Rajkot: In an interstate operation, Gondal Taluka police of Rajkot district apprehended an accused and recovered stolen groundnut oil and a truck worth a total of Rs 27 lakh from Rajasthan.A truck operated by a Rajkot-based transporter was dispatched from Gondal Taluka police station limits to Santej in Ahmedabad. The vehicle was carrying 476 tins of groundnut oil valued at Rs 13.13 lakh. The accused allegedly committed breach of trust for personal gain by diverting the truck, valued at Rs 15 lakh, and fleeing with the cargo. A complaint was registered at Gondal Taluka police station. A special police team was formed to trace the accused. Acting on a tip-off that he had fled to Rajasthan, the team travelled to the neighbouring state. Investigators first located the missing truck abandoned in a hotel parking lot in Rajsamand district. Further inquiries revealed that the stolen oil tins had been stored in a locked house on the outskirts of a village. With assistance from local police, a raid was carried out and one person was found guarding the consignment. From technical and human intelligence, police later arrested Suresh Mediya (Rawat), 20, from his residence in Todgarh village of Beawar district, Rajasthan. During interrogation, Suresh confessed to selling a portion of the oil tins to hotels. Police recovered 437 tins of groundnut oil worth about Rs 12 lakh along with the truck. The authorities are searching for three more absconding suspects — Dilip alias Rawat, Dilipsinh alias Dipo and Narendrasing Rawat — all residents of Rajasthan.