Mastermind of container theft from JNPT arrested

NAVI MUMBAI: The alleged mastermind of the theft of four containers from the high security Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) was arrested from Sanpada on Saturday evening by the Crime Branch.

Akbar Hussain Shaikh, a scrap dealer and resident of Mumbra in Thane district, allegedly confessed he had prepared fake documents to gain entry into the Port area.

Earlier, four persons were arrested from the JNPT township on Thursday last and containers with cargo worth Rs 47 lakh was recovered from the Dahisar-Mori area of Mumbra, police said.

Police are also probing role of 'insiders' (port officials, customs officials and CISF which guard the JNPT).

They have said primafacie it appears to be a simple theft case.

This is the first time that the containers were stolen before reaching the Container Freight Station. Earlier, the robbery used to take place only after the containers left the JNPT premises.

Of the four containers, three had arrived from China and one from Dubai.

A complaint of missing containers was lodged on August 24.

The goods in the container included float glass sheets, spare parts of water purifications systems, a chemical methyl nitroinidazone used for medical purposes imported by Unichem Laboratories and some knitted fabrics.