Punjab: 9 held for theft of over 500 wheat sacks from govt godowns

Nine persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a series of wheat thefts from government godowns.

Senior superintendent of police Sartaj Singh Chahal said that coordinated efforts by Dirba and Sherpur police stations led to the identification and arrest of the gang behind the recent thefts.

A total of 421 sacks of wheat—weighing 210 quintals and 50 kilograms—as well as a truck used in the crime have been recovered from their possession, the SSP said. Altogether, 536 sacks were stolen in the burglaries.

Detailing the incidents, SSP Chahal said that on the intervening night of May 20-21, a group of 14-15 unidentified individuals broke into the Punsup godown on Katron Road, Sherpur. They allegedly assaulted and tied up the security guards before fleeing with 256 sacks of wheat. A case was registered on May 22 at Sherpur police station under Sections 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 309 (robbery), 191(3) (rioting), and 190 (offence committed in prosecution of a common object) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

In a similar incident took place on the intervening night of June 3-4, around 10-15 individuals reportedly broke into the Pungrain godown in Dirba and stole 280 sacks of wheat.

An FIR was registered the next day under Sections 331(4) (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking) and 305 (theft in a dwelling house, or of a means of transportation or from a place of worship) of the BNS at Dirba police station.

This article has been republished from The Hindustan Times.