LCB cracks copper factory loot; ‘mastermind’, 6 others arrested

The Local Crime Branch (LCB) of Vadodara district police Thursday claimed to have cracked the case of loot of copper material worth Rs 35 lakh from a copper items manufacturing unit on the city outskirts by arresting seven persons from Mumbai and Vapi.

Acting on a tip-off, LCB officers nabbed the alleged mastermind of the theft, Umar Shah, from his residence at Mumbra in Mumbai and six members of his gang.

Six of the seven gang members hail from Siddharthnagar district of Uttar Pradesh and were arrested on Wednesday evening. Ratnesh Kurmi, who had settled in Vapi, was among the arrested, LCB police inspector Dharmendrasinh Chauhan said.

Police produced them before a local court here today, which sent them to seven-day police custody. "The gang had committed many such robberies in Vapi and Daman in south Gujarat and Nasik district in Maharashtra. This was their first attempt in Vadodara," Chauhan said.

A gang of 14 had overpowered security guards and workers of Global Copper Limited at Garaidya in Savli taluka on the night of January 15.

"Kadir Khan had opened a scrap yard near Vadadala village. It was him who tipped Shah about the firm and also led two men of the gang to do a recce of the site on January 12 and facilitated the robbery," Chauhan said, adding that a hunt was on for Khan.

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