Five persons, including two scrap dealers from neighbouring Mumbai, were arrested on alleged charges of fraud in scrap dealings, police said.
Inspector B M Kale of Kongaon Police Station said construction firm Tata Housing had handed a consignment to the five persons to sell steel scrap, worth nearly Rs. 41 lakh, from one of their projects in Rajnoli area of Bhiwandi, to dealers.
The five accused, three employed with firm AJ Enterprises and Bar Code company (scrap dealer firm) and two scrap dealers, were handed over the deal to sell the scrap and were handed over two vehicles loaded with scrap, weighing 28,780 kgs, valuing around Rs. 41.60 lakh, he said.
The accused, including a driver, instead selling the actual consignment, took two similar four-wheelers, put up the same number plate on the vehicle (fake number plates). They loaded the vehicles with less amount of scrap and took them for weighing, the officer said.
Tata Housing’s vigilance team, on a tip-off, reached the weighing spot last night and during the process caught the accused indulging in the fraudulence and informed the police.
The five persons, identified as — Asmat Ali Chowdhary (28), Mohammad Shair Sheikh (44), driver Liakatali Ajmalali Pollar (37), Iqlak Khan (37) and Aas Mohmammad (28) — were held in the wee hours, Kale said.
The accused have been charged under relevant IPC sections, inclduing section 420 (cheating), 460 (criminal breach of trust), 467 (forgery of valuable security), police said.
