MTC driver held for stealing a container at Chennai Port that had laptops worth Rs 35 crore

CHENNAI: The city police arrested Sankaran (56) of Tondiarpet, a Metropolitan Transport Corporation driver, for the container theft at Chennai Port. An insider had orchestrated the theft of a container carrying Dell laptops worth Rs 35 crore. 

Probe revealed that he had arranged the trailer which was used in taking the container out of the port. Six persons were arrested by the Harbour police in connection with the case.

The stolen container with 5,230 laptops was part of a consignment that had reached the Port from China on September 7 and was kept at the yard. Ilavarasan, a staff of the Chennai International Terminal Private Limited, who handles container loading and unloading at the Port, had prepared all necessary documents using the login credentials of a senior official in the company. He also facilitated the exit of the container, which was found when the assigned driver reached the port.

Harbour police traced the stolen items to Manavalan Nagar in Tiruvallur. “After taking the 40-foot container, the gang shifted the items from the original container to two 20-foot trucks. They were ready to pay over Rs 1 lakh per truck for the trip to Bengaluru,” said a police officer.

Police recovered 5,207 laptops from the accused. Ilavarasan is yet to be arrested.