Thane police in Maharashtra are probing a big theft, with aluminium plates worth INR 3.95 million (around USD 45,000) being robbed from a construction site in the Bhiwandi district. The theft reportedly happened in early April but was officially reported by the general manager of the construction company on September 1, almost five months after the incident. This delay has added another mystery to the case.
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As authorities try to track down the unknown culprits, the multi-million-dollar heist highlights the rising price and demand for aluminium, especially in India's thriving construction and infrastructure industries.
The plates form an essential part of contemporary construction, utilised in uses such as scaffolding, support structures, and sophisticated components. The recent arrest of a Dubai-Ahmedabad flight passenger for smuggling further highlights this demand.
Rising demand for aluminium in India
This event is a reflection of a bigger economic trend. Aluminium has become a highly sought-after commodity in India, fuelled by an across-the-board push for infrastructure growth and the large-scale uptake of modern construction technologies. The characteristics (light, strong, corrosion-resistant, infinitely recyclable) of the metal render it a far better option compared to conventional materials such as wood and steel in most use cases.
This demand boom is reshaping the industry. India's construction industry alone is set to increase aluminium demand by 7-8 per cent in FY25. As aluminium prices keep going up, it not only drives industrial expansion but is also increasingly drawing more attention from lawbreakers, rendering site security a top priority for developers.
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