Men posing as tax officials rob truck carrying ₹4 cr of rebars, kidnap driver

The 18-wheel trailer was carrying 41.4 tonnes of reinforcement bars to Gurugram when it was intercepted near HUDA Sector 2 around 12.30am Friday.

At least five suspects posing as sales tax officials allegedly looted reinforcement bars worth at least ₹4 crore after stopping a truck on the Sohna-Palwal road in Palwal and kidnapping its driver, police said on Saturday. The driver was later released in Rajasthan.

The incident took place around 12.30am on Friday, when an 18-wheel trailer carrying 41.4 tonnes of reinforcement bars to Gurugram was intercepted near HUDA Sector 2, police said. The consignment belonged to a trader based in Delhi.

The suspects, travelling in a white Mahindra Bolero without a registration number, pulled the driver from the truck after claiming to be sales tax officials and demanding vehicle documents and bills for the rebar consignment.

A senior police official said the driver suspected foul play and tried to contact another transporter for help, but the suspects pulled him down at gunpoint.

“They forced him to sit inside their SUV and drove him away after blindfolding him. Two of the suspects then boarded the truck and drove it away separately,” the official said.

The driver later contacted the trader after reaching Palwal and lodged a complaint. An FIR was registered at the city police station against unidentified suspects under Sections 309(4), 61 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act.

Inspector Narender, station house officer of the City police station, said police were scanning CCTV footage to identify the SUV. “Investigation is on to trace the suspects and recover the truck and the looted rebars,” he said.