Truck Carrying Gurugram-Bound Rebars Looted After Driver Kidnapped

GURUGRAM: Police are searching for a heavy truck and a load of reinforcement steel valued at about Rs 4 crore after a group of armed men allegedly posed as tax officials, stopped the vehicle near Palwal and kidnapped its driver. The 41.4-tonne consignment was being transported to Gurugram when it disappeared early on Friday.

The driver told police that the 18-wheel trailer was intercepted at around 12.30 am near HUDA Sector 2 on the Sohna-Palwal road. At least five men were allegedly travelling in a white utility vehicle without a registration plate. They asked for the truck's papers and invoices while claiming to be sales-tax personnel.

When the driver became suspicious and attempted to call another transporter, the men allegedly pulled him from the cabin at gunpoint. Police said he was blindfolded and forced into their vehicle while two members of the group drove away in the loaded truck. These details form part of the complaint and remain allegations under investigation.

Driver released across state border

The abducted driver was taken towards Rajasthan and released near Piruka village in Bharatpur district several hours later, according to the complaint. After removing the blindfold, he sought help from passing motorists and reached a police station. He later contacted the Delhi-based trader who owned the consignment and returned to Palwal to record his statement.

An FIR has been registered against unidentified suspects under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act. Police teams are reviewing camera footage along the Sohna-Palwal corridor, likely exit routes and toll points. They are also trying to identify the unnumbered utility vehicle and determine where a trailer of this size could have been unloaded or concealed.

The stated value of the material makes resale channels central to the inquiry. Reinforcement bars are bulky, individually unremarkable and widely traded, but shifting 41.4 tonnes requires organised transport, storage and buyers. Investigators may have a better chance of tracing the load through weighbridges, warehouses and commercial records than through a roadside search alone.

Impersonation created the opening

The case also exposes why transporters should verify enforcement stops, particularly at night. Genuine officers should be identifiable, use authorised vehicles and provide a clear basis for inspection. A driver facing an armed group cannot be expected to challenge them, but fleet operators can maintain round-the-clock control rooms, panic alerts and location sharing that flag an unexplained halt immediately.

No arrest or recovery had been announced in the initial police briefing. Officers must therefore establish both the identity of the attackers and whether they had advance information about the cargo, route and delivery schedule. The use of an official disguise may have been opportunistic, or it may indicate planning based on specific knowledge of the consignment.

Until the truck, steel and suspects are found, the facts remain anchored in the driver's complaint and the route evidence being collected. Police have asked anyone with information about the vehicle movement to approach the investigating team rather than circulate unverified names or images.