TIRUPATI: About 900 car engines have been reported stolen at Kia motors manufacturing plant near Penukonda in Sri Sathya Sai district in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
This startling case of 900 engines being stolen from the Kia motors plant came to light during the year-end audit carried out by the company in March.
While initially Kia motors was said to be reluctant to register a formal complaint and sought the police dept to investigate the case informally, after the police department made it categorical that the case cannot be investigated without a formal complaint, Kia motors authorities later on formally lodged a complaint at the Penukonda industrial estate police station on March 19, based on which a case was registered and the investigation was launched.
Sri Sathya Sai district SP V Rathna inspected the Kia motors manufacturing plant and inspected all the records. “We have formed three special teams to investigate the case. Our teams are travelling across the country to gather crucial records and the case investigation is progressing at a brisk pace”, V Rathna told TOI.
Speaking to TOI, Penukonda DSP Y Venkateswarulu, who is part of the case investigation, stated that the theft of car engines at the Kia motors began five years ago in 2020.
“As per preliminary police investigation, 900 car engines were stolen in a phased and a planned manner in the last five years. This is definitely an insider’s job and we suspect that there was a connivance between the ex employees and the current employees at Kia motors in the organised car engines theft”.
While the police dept initially suspected that car engines, which were transported from Tamil Nadu to the Kia motors plant at Penukonda, might have been stolen while in transit, have concluded after the preliminary investigation that all the car engines were stolen from the plant itself by tampering the records.
On the other-hand, Kia motors refused to comment on the issue citing an ongoing police investigation, but clarified that the production output at the plant was not hindered in any manner amidst reports of 900 odd car engines being stolen from the company’s manufacturing unit at Penukonda.
“We roll out around 3-4 lakh vehicle units annually depending on the demand and the theft of 900 car engines hasn’t affected the production output in any manner”, a Kia motors representative told TOI.
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