Fake FedEx Drivers Steal $680K Electronics Shipment From Delaware Warehouse
Fake FedEx Drivers Allegedly Target $680,000 Electronics Load in Delaware
A California man faces felony charges after Delaware State Police said two people posed as FedEx employees to pick up an electronics shipment valued at more than $680,000 from a New Castle warehouse.
The cargo was recovered before it left the area, but investigators said the people involved used fraudulent identification, shipping documents and a false registration plate during the attempted theft.
The incident began at approximately 9:15 a.m. on Sept. 14 at Emolo Consumer Electronics, located on River Road in New Castle. According to police, two suspects arrived in a tractor-trailer cab and told employees they were FedEx drivers.
The suspects presented driver’s licenses and shipping paperwork for a trailer loaded with electronics. After the documents were accepted, the suspects attached the trailer to their tractor and departed with the shipment.
Later that day, the shipper determined that the documents provided by the alleged drivers were fraudulent. The tractor-trailer was subsequently located at University Plaza in Newark, Delaware. The person who found it contacted 911.
Delaware State Police responded to the parking area on Sept. 15. Troopers located one of the men involved in the pickup, identified as Dushatdaman Parihar, 35, of Manteca, California.
Police said the commercial driver’s license used at the warehouse was fraudulent. Troopers also determined that the registration plate displayed on the tractor-trailer was fictitious. The driver’s licenses presented at the warehouse were also identified as fraudulent.
Parihar was taken into custody without incident and transported to Troop 2. A second participant was identified in the investigation, but police have not released that person’s name or reported an arrest.
The trailer and its contents were recovered and returned to the business. Police said all of the electronics remained inside the trailer.
Parihar was charged with felony theft involving property valued at $100,000 or more. He also faces charges of first-degree forgery, second-degree forgery, second-degree conspiracy and use of a fictitious registration plate.
A Justice of the Peace Court arraigned Parihar and set a secured bond of $66,550. The charges are allegations, and the case remains under investigation.
Detectives with the Delaware State Police Criminal Investigations Unit are continuing to investigate how the suspects obtained the shipping documents and identification used during the pickup. Police said they have no additional details to release at this time.
For professional drivers and carriers, the case illustrates how cargo theft can begin before a load ever reaches the highway. High-value shipments may be vulnerable during the pickup process when a warehouse relies on paperwork and identification supplied by the arriving driver.
Verifying the carrier, tractor, trailer, driver credentials and dispatch information before releasing freight can help identify inconsistencies. A plate that does not match the carrier’s records, documents that cannot be confirmed or a driver who cannot be verified through established contacts may warrant additional review before loading or releasing a trailer.
In this case, investigators said the cargo was recovered because the shipper identified problems with the documents and located the tractor-trailer soon after the pickup. The investigation remains active, and police have not said whether additional charges are expected.
