The arrested duo would sell the vehicles for one-tenth of their original price, which would then be used by the smugglers
The arrested duo would sell the vehicles for one-tenth of their original price, which would then be used by the smugglers
The city police have arrested two inter-state burglars who stole four-wheelers and two-wheelers worth Rs 35 lakh, and then sold them for roughly one-tenth the original price.
The accused, Vadivelu (27) and Prakash (23) have been involved in this business since 2008 and have more than seven cases filed against them at different police stations in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Vadivelu and Prakash had five duplicate keysu00a0made out of two-wheeler spokes, which they used to steal trucks.
With their arrest, the police found out that over 500 vehicles have been used to transport cheap rice from Tamil Nadu to neighbouring states, including Karnataka.
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Rice rates are cheaper in Tamil Nadu, compared to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
But strict laws by the state government don't allow transporting it to other states. If caught, the vehicles are impounded, and the transporters jailed.
To avoid that, they use stolen vehicles, and if caught, they just leave the vehicle and flee. In order to keep doing business, there is a constant demand for stolen vehicles, and Prakash and Vadivelu saw this as a golden opportunity.
Earlier, Vadivelu and Prakash were drivers by profession, but started stealing vehicles to lead a lavish life. The technique was simple they had five duplicate keys made out of two-wheeler spokes.
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They would come in the city early morning, steal a two-wheeler, and then roam around the city, looking for four-wheelers.
They would then steal a four-wheeler, and then go their separate ways on the stolen vehicles. The two-wheelers were sold in remote areas of Tamil Nadu.
The four-wheelers were sold to illegal rice transporters.
They sold trucks and high-end cars for 10 times cheaper than the original price they sold two-wheelers for just Rs 4,000.
In all, they stole 25 vehicles worth Rs 35 lakh.u00a0 But their luck finally ran out when the police caught them stealing a two-wheeler near Madival vegetable market.
Madival Police Inspector ML Purushottam said, "We haven't recovered any vehicles because the area they sold their vehicles is all hills.
We have informed the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu police about the trucks."
He added, "Nearly 500 illegal trucks have been involved in transporting rice from Tamil Nadu to other states.
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They buy the rice in Tamil Nadu for Rs 1, and sell it for at least Rs 10 in other states. Rice transporting is big mafia in Tamil Nadu."
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