Stolen tin sheets worth Rs 15 lakh recovered in Assam's Lakhipur; hardware trader among three arrested

Police in Assam's Cachar district have recovered stolen tin sheets worth approximately Rs 15 lakh and arrested three more persons, including a hardware trader, in connection with a major theft case in Lakhipur. With the latest arrests, the total number of accused held in the case has risen to six.

According to police, Jarif Uddin Laskar, owner of M.M. Hardware at Baskandi Bazaar, had ordered a truckload of tin sheets worth around Rs 15 lakh from Burnihat on May 20. However, the truck driver and his associates allegedly diverted the consignment instead of delivering it to the designated destination.

Following a complaint lodged by the trader, Baskandi Police launched an investigation. During the initial phase of the probe, police recovered the empty truck from the Kalain area and arrested the driver along with two others.

Based on information gathered during interrogation, police on the night of June 29 arrested Himon Das from Tulargram in Sonai and Satyabrata Adhikari from Kanakpur in Joypur, who were allegedly acting as intermediaries in the theft.

Acting on their disclosures, police raided the warehouse of hardware trader Sushanta Dey at Joypur New Market and recovered the stolen tin sheets. Investigators, however, alleged that a portion of the stolen consignment had already been sold.

The three accused were produced before the Lakhipur court on June 30 which remanded them to judicial custody.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and more people may have been involved in the theft. Efforts are underway to identify and arrest the remaining suspects.