A gang of thieves in Seraikela-Kharsawan has stolen specialised components worth several lakhs from at least two automobile units in Adityapur industrial area in the past one week, indicating skilled hands were at work.

The two companies who reported thefts to Gamharia and Adityapur police are Universal Auto Components and Indigo Motors, respectively. Taken together, the stolen auto components are valued at Rs 17 lakh, if not more.

Two more companies where similar thefts have reportedly taken place are Utkal Automobiles and Cebbco in Adityapur industrial area, but the management of these firms have not contacted the police for internal reasons, unconfirmed sources have said.

However, all the four companies are ancillary units of Tata Motors.

Senior HR official of Universal Auto Components R.G. Sahee, who on Sunday lodged an FIR at Gamharia police station, said on Saturday they discovered 18 pieces of self-starter and an equal number of power take-off (PTO) pumps, in all worth over Rs 9 lakh, were taken from the company premises.

"Our company makes the bodies of dumpers for the chassis of Tata Motors trucks. There are about 50 chassis units parked on company premises for their conversion to dumpers. On Saturday, we discovered self-starters and PTO pumps missing from as many as 18 chassis units. The cost of the stolen automobile components is about Rs 9 lakh," Sahee said in the FIR.

The HR official did not rule out an insider job.

"How could so many self-starters and PTO pumps go missing from parked chassis units without the knowledge of any company staff, including security guards? Both the components are fitted in any chassis in such a way that it will take at least 10 minutes for even a skilled mechanic to dismantle them," Sahee said, adding that their company had the usual security mechanisms in place.

Gamharia police station OC R.B. Singh confirmed registering the theft case and said a probe had begun.

ASI Upendra Pathak, assigned the investigation, said prima facie, the theft could not have been done without the involvement of skilled staff.

"It is not possible to pick self-starters and PTO pumps just like that as they are fixed (to the chassis) at a complex point," ASI Pathak, who visited the company on Sunday, said. "A layman can't tinker with the auto components. Their theft is only possible if an insider, who knows the job, is involved," he added.

In the other reported theft, 17 self-starters and an equal number of PTO pumps worth around Rs 8 lakh were stolen from Indigo Motors.

Adityapur thana officer-in-charge Arvind Kumar confirmed the theft of automobile components from the chassis units parked on Indigo Motors premises.

"An FIR by the Indigo Motors had been lodged three days ago. We are working on the case. Certainly there must be a specialised gang in operation in this industrial belt," said OC Kumar.