Andhra KIA engine theft: Who stole from Anantapur facility and when? Everything police have found out so far

The Andhra Pradesh police achieved breakthrough in the KIA car theft case as eight people were arrested and sent o judicial remand. The KIA plant, one of the biggest outside South Korea, is located in the Anantapur region and rolls out various models of the brand for domestic as well as international markets. 

 

In an internal company audit taken up recently, it was found that 900 car engines were missing from the plant. A police case was registered and the probe began almost immediately. According to the officials, the theft of the engines had taken place over a period of five years. 

 

It is estimated that the value of the stolen engines is around ₹50 crores. The officials suspected the role of employees of the plant and not surprisingly, almost all the accused have been learnt to be former and current employees of KIA plant. 

 

The police took eight people into custody and questioned them based on which they were formally arrested. The accused hail from Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Additionally, three more persons are under the radar of the police but are absconding. 

 

According to sources, as per the preliminary investigation, it is believed that a group of employees of KIA and their cohorts, Delhi-based automobile traders resorted to large-scale theft. The modus operandi was to steal the engines during the transportation to or from the plant and send it to traders in the industry. During the investigation, it was found that the engines were sold in grey markets in Delhi, UP, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana. 

 

The police are yet to recover the engines. At this stage, the police are looking at the roles of at least two dozen individuals, who are a mix of insiders and those who are not directly employed with KIA. Between 2019 and 2024, KIA exported more than 2,50,000 vehicles from the Anantapur facility. In the same period, around 10 lakh vehicles were also rolled out from the plant for the domestic market.

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