A California truck driver was arrested in Indiana after police said he used fraudulent documents to obtain a nearly 40,000-pound industrial shipment worth more than $2.8 million.
Deepak Kumar, 31, of Fresno, California, was stopped Saturday morning on Interstate 70 in Hancock County, according to CDL Life.
Greenfield police had been alerted around 6 a.m. that a wanted semi tractor-trailer was traveling west on I-70 and entering Hancock County. The vehicle was believed to be tied to a cargo theft reported in Pennsylvania on June 25.
Officers located the truck near the Greenfield exit and conducted a traffic stop.
Police Say The Load Was Supposed To Go To Japan
Police identified the cargo as nearly 40,000 pounds of tungsten oxide powder. The shipment was valued at $2,857,500 and was being shipped to Mitsubishi Materials Corporation in Japan, according to reports citing Greenfield police.
Police said Kumar is suspected of using fraudulent documents to obtain the load. Officials have not released further details about exactly how he allegedly gained control of the cargo.
The case became a multistate investigation because the suspected cargo theft began in Pennsylvania and the truck was later stopped in Indiana.
A Pennsylvania Warrant Was Already Issued
Authorities said an arrest warrant had been issued out of Pennsylvania accusing Kumar of theft by unlawful taking of movable property and criminal use of a communication facility.
Kumar was arrested at the traffic stop and taken to the Hancock County Jail. The truck and trailer were impounded and held as evidence while officers sought a search warrant.
After the search warrant was issued, police searched the trailer and confirmed that the stolen cargo was inside.
The Cargo Was Recovered In Indiana
On Sunday, a representative for Mitsubishi Materials Corporation arrived in Greenfield and took possession of the recovered materials.
Greenfield police credited modern technology and police work for the recovery. The department also noted that Kumar is considered innocent unless proven guilty.
The Hancock County Prosecutor’s Office will decide whether Kumar will face Indiana charges tied to the traffic stop and search warrant findings.
Fake Shipping Documents Can Move Real Freight
The case points to a common risk in cargo theft: a shipment can be real, the truck can be real, and the commodity can be real, while the paperwork used to claim the load is fraudulent.
High-value industrial shipments can be targeted through fake pickup documents, stolen carrier identities, altered dispatch instructions, or communication that appears to come from a legitimate broker or carrier. A load can be gone before the shipper, broker, or receiver realizes the wrong driver took possession.
For shippers and brokers, the warning is to verify the carrier, driver, truck, trailer, pickup number, destination, and authority through trusted channels before releasing high-value freight. Last-minute changes to pickup details, driver information, or destination instructions should be confirmed directly with known contacts, not only through the person arriving for the load.