Forged invoices, manipulated gate passes: 1,008 Kia engines worth $2.3 million stolen from Andhra plant

Two ex-Kia India workers are under investigation for colluding with scrap dealers to steal 1,008 engines from its manufacturing facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, over three years, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing police investigation documents, exposing a potentially large-scale, concerted theft at a company level.

According to the report, the engines were approximately valued at $2.3 million, but the unravelling of these crimes has a far-reaching impact. According to the ongoing investigation, the police said that the case “has a widespread impact on industrial operations, stakeholder trust and employment security.” The police also raised concerns about the interstate crime nexus operating in the shadows. 

In March, Kia India reported to the police in Andhra Pradesh that following a review of its internal records from its sister carmaker Hyundai Motor India Limited , a discrepancy was discovered, and Kia India suspected that the present employees were in connivance with the ex-employees. 

A police document, dated 16 April and accessed by the news agency, showed that the initial probe by the police unearthed two ex-Kia India workers—a team leader and a head of section in the engine dispatch division—as the perpetrators.

The former head of the section, identified as Vinayagamoorthy Veluchamy, is currently other police custody, and has applied to the High Court for bail, denying any wrongdoing. He left the company in 2023. The team leader, identified as Patan Saleem, worked at the carmaker between 2020 and 2025, and is currently absconding. The two numbers quoted in the report that belonged to Saleem are not in service. 

Their modus operandi was to transport engines out of the facility using forged invoices and gate passes. At least two other people were involved in clandestinely transporting the engines to scrap dealers, some as far as New Delhi, to be sold. The police, according to the investigation document, have recovered nine mobile phones with WhatsApp chats, forged invoices, and pictures of trucks used to transport engines. 

“The entire operation involved repeated illegal transactions, use of multiple trucks bearing manipulated or pseudo registration numbers,” Inspector K. Raghavan was quoted as saying in the police document. “The proceeds of crime were either spent on personal needs, clearing debts, purchasing immovable property or reinvested in businesses,” the document read. 

Kia India acknowledged to Reuters that it identified discrepancies when it was enhancing the inventory process last year, and reported to the police following an internal investigation.