📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Prime Minister's Office
Crime
CBI Takes Over Bhilai Steel Plant Scrap Theft Probe, 21 Arrested
✍️ Amar Ujala · Madhya Pradesh
🗓 29 Sep 2026, 11:45 AM
👁 10
The Chhattisgarh government has transferred the investigation of a multi‑crore scrap theft at Bhilai Steel Plant to the CBI, which has already arrested 21 suspects.
The Chhattisgarh administration announced on Tuesday that the Central Bureau of Investigation will now lead the probe into the large‑scale theft of iron scrap from the Bhilai Steel Plant. The case, which involves losses amounting to several crore rupees, was previously under the state police’s jurisdiction.
According to officials, the investigation uncovered a network that siphoned off scrap metal from the plant’s yards and sold it on the black market. Law enforcement agencies have so far detained 21 individuals alleged to be part of the racket, including several industrial contractors and local businessmen.
The handover to the CBI is expected to bring additional resources and forensic expertise to the case. State authorities said they will cooperate fully with the central agency and provide all relevant documents and evidence.
The CBI has not yet disclosed the names of the accused or the exact amount of material stolen, but it confirmed that the investigation is ongoing and that further arrests may follow.
The development underscores growing concerns over security lapses at major public‑sector enterprises and highlights the central government’s willingness to intervene in high‑value corruption and theft cases.
According to officials, the investigation uncovered a network that siphoned off scrap metal from the plant’s yards and sold it on the black market. Law enforcement agencies have so far detained 21 individuals alleged to be part of the racket, including several industrial contractors and local businessmen.
The handover to the CBI is expected to bring additional resources and forensic expertise to the case. State authorities said they will cooperate fully with the central agency and provide all relevant documents and evidence.
The CBI has not yet disclosed the names of the accused or the exact amount of material stolen, but it confirmed that the investigation is ongoing and that further arrests may follow.
The development underscores growing concerns over security lapses at major public‑sector enterprises and highlights the central government’s willingness to intervene in high‑value corruption and theft cases.