FRESNO, Calif. — A Fresno man accused in a multimillion-dollar cargo theft investigation is now being held at an ICE detention facility in McFarland while he faces criminal charges in Pennsylvania.
Authorities say 31-year-old Deepak Kumar was arrested in Indiana after police recovered nearly $3 million worth of stolen cargo, including nearly 40,000 pounds of tungsten oxide powder that was supposed to be shipped to Japan.
Investigators say the break in the case came after Greenfield Police Department’s Flock Safety camera system alerted officers to a semi-truck linked to the reported theft as it traveled along Interstate 70 in Hancock County, Indiana.
“The Flock camera identified the vehicle and the plate on the vehicle as being wanted in the commission of a crime,” said Greenfield Deputy Chief Chuck McMichael.
McMichael said the automated license plate reader system creates a record every time a vehicle passes one of its cameras, allowing officers to quickly locate vehicles connected to investigations.
“Every time a vehicle passes, it just makes, basically creates a log of that, right? So, this license plate passed by this specific spot at this day, this time,” he said.
Police identified the driver as Kumar.
According to court documents, Kumar is charged in Pennsylvania with theft by unlawful taking of movable property and criminal use of a communication facility.
Investigators also accuse him of using fraudulent documents to obtain the shipment.
FOX26 asked McMichael if his department has a handled a cargo theft case like this before.
He responded, “We have not had any cases like this. I have heard from a few people now, different companies and things like that, have reached out and just kind of given us an idea of how prevalent this is across the country. I’ve had phone calls from Minnesota, from out in California from a few different areas, kind of requesting similar information to what you’re asking, right?”
While McMichael says he doesn’t have details on how this alleged scheme was carried out or know the specific process used by trucking companies, he can only think of one thing.
He said, “On how easy it is to replicate now with AI, how easy it is to replicate a company logo to make it look as real as possible.”
McMichael also shares how flock cameras helped crack the case. Years ago, he says a case like this would have looked very different.
Before license plate reader systems, officers would have had to manually watch traffic for hours, checking passing semi-trucks in hopes of spotting the correct vehicle.
Police say the stolen tungsten oxide powder was recovered and returned to its intended recipient.
Officers also located a second shipment of LEGO products inside the truck, which was also returned.
Questions also remain about documents presented during the investigation, including a California-issued driver’s license and an invalid work visa.
FOX26 looked into this. It is still unclear whether the invalid work visa is expired, has been revoked or was fraudulent.
FOX26 reached out to the California Department of Motor Vehicles and asked the following question, “Can someone legally obtain a California driver’s license or commercial driver’s license while holding a valid work visa? What happens when that visa expires? Does the DMV receive notification, and does the license remain active until its expiration date?”
The DMV confirmed it received the request and said it will get back to us.
Court records show Kumar’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 12.
Records also show his bail remains denied after prosecutors argued he is a flight risk.