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Trucker jailed in Indiana in alleged $2.8M tungsten theft
Driver awaits extradition to Pennsylvania after cargo recovered during traffic stop
Officers were informed of the 40,000-pound load of apparently stolen tungsten oxide powder heading their way on the interstate. (RHJ/Getty Images)
Key Takeaways:
- Police arrested truck driver Deepak Kumar in Indiana on June 27 for allegedly stealing a $2.85 million tungsten powder shipment from Pennsylvania.
- Authorities said Kumar used fake documents to obtain the 40,000-pound load, which was bound for Mitsubishi Materials Corp. in Japan for advanced industrial uses.
- Indiana charges were dismissed July 1 as Kumar awaits extradition to Pennsylvania, where state police say the criminal investigation remains active.
An immigrant trucker sits in jail awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania for allegedly stealing nearly $3 million in a tungsten powder load intended for Japan.
Deepak Kumar, 31, is the subject of an ongoing investigation by Pennsylvania State Police after he was arrested in Indiana on June 27 while driving along Interstate 70. Originally from India, the driver lives in Fresno, Calif., and holds a state-issued commercial driver license there.
As of July 8, he remained behind bars in the 446-inmate Hancock County Jail in an eastern Indianapolis suburb.
The cargo theft case unfolded after an alert to Greenfield, Ind., police. Officers were informed of the 40,000-pound load of apparently stolen tungsten oxide powder heading their way on the interstate.
Night and day shifts of B Squad officers kept watch for the $2.85 million shipment of tungsten that was supposed to be transported to Mitsubishi Materials Corp. in Japan. The company was importing the U.S. powdered metal to use in its next-generation batteries, electronic components and defense industry materials.
A warrant for Kumar’s arrest had been issued in Pennsylvania for alleged theft by unlawfully taking movable property and criminal use of a communication facility.
Kumar allegedly used fake documents to pick up the shipment, according to Greenfield Police Deputy Chief Charles “Chuck” McMichael.
The tungsten powder was picked up at Global Tungsten & Powders in North Towanda Township along the Susquehanna River, according to trooper William J. Evans III, spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Police.
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Neither Global Tungsten & Powders nor Mitsubishi Materials U.S.A. Corp. responded by press time to Transport Topics’ inquiries about the cargo theft.
The apparent tungsten powder theft occurred June 25. Two days later, Greenfield police officers saw “the wanted truck and trailer near the Greenfield exit, verified the information and conducted a traffic stop,” McMichael said. “With the use of modern technology and diligent police work, Kumar is in jail and will face prosecution for his alleged crimes.”
The truck and trailer were impounded by Inman’s Towing of Greenfield and held as evidence. Police obtained a search warrant for the equipment and found “the stolen cargo was present in the trailer,” McMichael said. A Mitsubishi representative arrived in Indiana and “took possession of the stolen cargo,” he added.
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McMichael said the stolen tungsten powder was found “in large cardboard boxes on pallets.” Kumar possessed a California CDL at the time of the traffic stop.
Kumar was arrested on four criminal charges:
- Theft of valuable metal
- Theft (other larceny)
- Criminal conversion (unauthorized control over another person’s property)
- Forgery to possess/produce/distribute false government identification using a nongovernment document
Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton dismissed the Indiana charges July 1 as Kumar awaited extradition to Pennsylvania, where the theft allegedly occurred.
Although police are releasing few additional details, Evans confirmed to TT that the Pennsylvania State Police’s criminal investigation unit is working the case and that “this investigation remains active.”
