Now gangs target rubber consignments

KOCHI: Large corporate houses like Apollo , Ceat and MRF are feeling the pinch of rubber price rise not once but twice. Trucks carrying natural rubber for tyre factories are disappearing without a trace as organised gangs hijack the vehicles. Rubber prices saw a 160% increase in the last two years.

A truckload of rubber weighing around 16 tonne would cost, along with taxes and other costs, close to Rs 40 to Rs 45 lakh. "The miscreants would sell the rubber at threefourths or half the price to the dealers again," said Vinod T Simon, president of the All India Rubber Industries Association. "Most cases of hijacking have happened in Tamil Nadu where the demand for rubber is very high," he said. With prices shooting up, rubber has become the target of organised criminal gangs. "Half a dozen such cases have been reported so far in the year," said Premkumar PM, vice president, Cochin Goods Transporters Association.

The rubber prices were at Rs 232 per kg on Wednesday. Average yearly price of rubber stood at Rs 114.98 per kg in 2009-10 . It increased to Rs 190.63 per kg in 2010-11 . Throughout the last year, there was a severe shortage of rubber in the domestic market. As a result, rubber in all forms like sheet rubber, compound rubber and raw rubber are being targetted by the gangs.

In most cases, investigations have drawn a blank though in one instance charge-sheet was filed. "Of the two cases that came under the jurisdiction of Alathur police station in Palakkad, one was transferred to Mettur in Tamil Nadu and the other was charged against the transport agent and driver," said VS Nawaz, circle inspector in-charge of the investigation.