Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Feb 21: A load of arecanut dispatched to Ahmedabad from the city has gone missing along with the vehicle and its driver. The value of the missing consignment has been estimated at Rs 20 lac.

Campco Ltd in the city had hired Indo Arya Central Transport Company for carrying 155 gunny bags of peeled arecanuts to Ahmedabad. Each of these bags weighed 65 kg. The consignment, worth about Rs 20 lac, had been sent through a truck bearing registration number GJ08Z3789 by this company through Jayalaxmi Transports, Boloor here. The stock, comprising 305 gunny bags of arecanut including 155 bags of Campco, was not delivered to the stated destination, and the truck has gone missing.  The truck owner, when contacted, failed to give a convincing reply, the concerned say.

A person named Salman was driving the truck. When efforts were made to contact him on his cellphone, the callers are receiving 'switch off' message.   The driver and owner of the lorry have together connived in cheating the consignors, said the manager of Indo Arya Central Transport Ltd, Mukesh Kumar, in a complaint delivered to Bunder police station here. The police have registered a cheating case and begun investigation.