Tirupati: In perhaps the first of its kind in India, nine hundred car engines have been stolen from the Kia Motors plant near Penukonda town in Sri Sathya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh. Police believe the theft may have taken place over five years.
The crime came to light on Tuesday, three weeks after the company management lodged a complaint with local police.
Police officials said the company learned of the theft during the year-end audit carried out in March. Kia Motors is the first automobile plant in the backward and parched Rayalaseema region, which otherwise is largely known for its mass migration of labour and desertification of land.
Kia Motors India MD and CEO Gwanggu Lee lodged a complaint with Penukonda industrial estate police station on March 19, based on which a case was registered.
Penukonda DSP Y Venkateswarulu stated that the theft may have started in 2020. “Preliminary investigation shows the engines were stolen in a phased and planned manner. It is certain that some insiders are involved. We suspect that there was connivance between some former and present employees in this organised theft of car engines,” he added.
Sri Sathya Sai district SP V Rathna inspected the plant and official records to identify suspects. “We have formed three special teams to investigate the case. Our teams are travelling across the country to gather crucial records. Investigation is progressing at a brisk pace,” Rathna told TOI.
Police officers initially suspected that the engines, which were transported from Tamil Nadu to the plant, might have been stolen in transit, but concluded after preliminary investigation that all the engines were stolen from the plant itself by tampering with records.
The Kia Motors management refused to comment. A spokesperson, however, clarified that output at the plant was not hindered. “We roll out around 3 lakh to 4 lakh vehicle units annually, depending on demand. The theft hasn’t affected output in any manner,” he said.
Police officers added that the modus operandi used was not clear and that further investigation and custody of the suspects would give them more leads. It is also not clear how the engines, which are not small, were physically shifted from the plant. Police suspect that records of movement of engines from and to the plant may have been altered to hide the grand theft.