2 junior engineers, 9 others arrested for stealing, selling govt bitumen supply for Ladakh

Two junior engineers of the Border Roads Organisation’s engineering wing GREF and nine others were arrested for allegedly stealing and selling government bitumen supply meant for Ladakh, police said on Thursday.

They said 480 barrels of bitumen worth Rs 36 lakh were seized during a raid in Leh district on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

The raids were carried out after a Leh Police Station patrolling party spotted eight suspicious trucks and got alerted by their movements towards a crusher plant, they said.

The patrol unit found that each truck was carrying 60 barrels of bitumen and they were being illegally unloaded at the crusher plant, they said.

On further enquiry and perusal of the tax invoice vouchers produced by the drivers, it was found that these bitumen barrels belonged to the Garrison Reserve Engineers Force, Ladakh, and were meant to be unloaded somewhere else, they said.

A case was lodged against 10 people including two JEs of the GREF at Police Station Leh and an investigation was taken up against them for allegedly stealing and illegally selling government supplies, they said.

The owner of the crusher plant and the eight drivers were also arrested from the spot and they are under custody at the Leh Police Station, they said.