Key points
- Kia reported theft to the police in March
- Two former Kia workers allegedly involved
- Engines diverted for years using fake documentation, probe finds
ISLAMABAD: Police in India are investigating two former Kia India workers for allegedly colluding with scrap dealers to steal 1,008 engines from the carmaker’s factory over three years.
Police investigation documents reportedly showed that the case had “widespread impact on industrial operations, stakeholder trust and employment security”, and raised concerns about inter-state crime networks.
According to Reuters, the engines were worth $2.3 million.
Kia in March complained to police in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh that a review of internal records found engines sourced from its sister carmaker, Hyundai, were missing, NDTV reported.
Missing engines
The South Korean carmaker has suspected a conspiracy between past and present employees.
An initial police investigation found two former Kia India factory workers – a team leader and a head of section in the engine dispatch section – were involved in illegally transporting the engines from the factory using forged invoices and manipulated gate passes, according to an April 16 police document.
Reuters reported that the suspects worked with at least two other individuals who helped arrange transport, and two other scrap dealers who helped sell them to buyers as far away as the capital city New Delhi.
Illegal transactions
“The entire operation involved repeated illegal transactions, use of multiple trucks bearing manipulated or pseudo registration numbers,” Inspector K Raghavan said in his investigation document dated April 16, seen by Reuters.
Raghavan declined to comment when contacted, citing confidentiality.
Given the “high-level preplanning, internal access manipulation”, they could face punishment of 10 years imprisonment or more under Indian laws if charged and convicted, the police document said.
