According to Sunil Reddy, Inspector, Railway Protection Force (RPF) Kurla, on August 3 this year, the RPF received information that a truck (MH-15-G-2344) containing stolen railway property was to be unloaded at Lion Alloys Private Limited, Tarapur. Accordingly, the RPF team intercepted the truck and recovered 96 CI 9 plates sleepers valued at Rs 45,000.

The statements of the truck driver Minakathun Ghanshyam Naik and cleaner Maqsood Ahmed Mansoor were recorded. The duo reportedly confessed that they had lifted the material from the railway tracks at Nagothane in Raigad district and taken a challan from Afzal Enterprises, which deals in steel scrap. This, alleged the duo, was done at the behest of Bhatia,owner of Lion Alloys Private Limited which manufactures mild steel ingots and has a monthly turnover of Rs 75 lakh.

Bhatia was aware that the property involved was stolen, said the duo, adding that on previous occasions, the stolen scrap had been off-loaded on Bhatia's instructions. Only 96 of the 300 plates missing have been recovered from the truck, said the RPF.

In his application, Bhatia submitted that Mohammed Anwar Khan, proprietor of Afzal Enterprises, had told him that the scrap was purchased in an auction sale held by the railways at Navi Mumbai. He had purchased the scrap from Khan thinking it to be genuine, he stated, and he was unaware that it was stolen. He had already paid an advance of Rs 20,000 to Afzal Enterprises, added Bhatia.

Special Public Prosecutor Vasanti Joshi appeared for the state.