Mancherial turns into haven of illegal scrap trading

Mancherial is witnessing a rise in illegal scrap trading involving iron and copper allegedly stolen from SCCL, Indian Railways and other public sector undertakings. Police have registered cases, arrested key accused and intensified efforts to dismantle the organised racket.

Mancherial: This town is slowly becoming a haven for the illegal trading of scrapped iron and copper equipment stolen from various public sector undertakings, causing huge losses to the government.

Huge quantities of scrap from Singareni Collieries Company Limited, Indian Railways and many other organisations belonging to the State and Centre are being stolen at regular intervals due to alleged security lapses and the involvement of greedy traders. Officials are lodging complaints with the police to probe the thefts and control the menace by taking stringent action against the culprits.

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Despite the registration of cases, the menace continues unabated in the town. The recurrence of the scrap thefts can be attributed to a racket allegedly formed by a section of traders from Mancherial headquarters. The traders in question are operating spacious warehouses on the outskirts of the town. They are using advanced technology to commit the offences.

The traders are deploying workers to convert the iron and copper equipment and machinery into scrap with the help of massive machines. The workers use walkie-talkies for communication, while the warehouses are under CCTV surveillance to keep a watch on the movement of strangers. The warehouses are manned by security guards to prevent the entry of unauthorised persons.

The traders are secretly buying iron machinery and electrical equipment containing copper that was allegedly stolen from the coal mines of SCCL and Railway sites. They sell the scrap to industrialists in Hyderabad and neighbouring States, earning huge profits in a short time. It is alleged that they are able to indulge in the crime by bribing officials of various departments every month.

A notorious trader, along with four others, including a supervisor of SCCL, was arrested on charges of stealing 110 iron pipes worth Rs 4.40 lakh from a store of the coal major in Srirampur on June 25. The accused were identified as Battini Naresh Goud, a scrap trader from Mancherial, G Sandeep, SCCL supervisor (Civil), Mohammad Hakeem, van driver Jampaiah and Chintala Sammaiah, all from Srirampur.

Mancherial DCP A Bhaskar said cases were being registered against the offenders and stern action would be taken against those illegally trading abandoned iron machinery and electrical equipment containing copper wire. A special focus was being laid on habitual offenders. The nexus between traders, thieves and officials would be exposed soon, he added.