Two more arrested in Sikkim’s Rs 1-crore Teesta-III steel heist

A fresh set of arrests on November 19 has tightened the investigation into the alleged Rs 1-crore steel theft from Sikkim’s 1200 MW Teesta-III Hydel Project, with police detaining two men from the transport office of the prime accused late on Sunday.

Investigators identified the suspects as Devendra Gangra of Haryana and Nishant Kumar of Rajasthan. According to officers, both are believed to have handled key operations linked to the removal and sale of high-grade steel that was meant for delivery to the Chungthang project site.

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The case began after Bipal Agarwal, partner of Shree Balaji Logistics, filed a complaint in Bhaktinagar alleging that transport operator Binod Kumar Bansal and associates diverted 25 IS 2002 Grade-2 steel plates and iron rods valued at nearly Rs 1 crore. The consignment had been assigned to the firm under an L&T work order dated April 2, 2025.

A subsequent stock audit uncovered the missing load, triggering an internal review that pointed to deliberate offloading and illicit disposal of the material. Agarwal later warned police that the steel may have already been melted down, complicating recovery efforts.

The probe has since expanded beyond West Bengal, with officers tracking potential interstate movement of the stolen consignment. Documents provided by the complainant — including lorry receipts, staff statements and GPS logs — are now being examined to retrace the route and identify additional suspects.