Kia India Missing 1008 Engines Worth Rs 19 Crore, Ex-Workers And Scrap Dealers Under Scanner

Kia India Engine Theft:  Two Ex-workers of the South Korean car manufacturer, Kia, and scrap dealers are under investigation for the accusation of stealing 1008 engine units over 3 years. The brand reported its engine units missing in March 2025, and police began the investigation, citing the incident’s widespread impact on industrial operations, employment security, and stakeholder trust, as revealed in a report by Reuters.

Engine Units Worth Rs 19 Crore

Kia, in its complaint, informed Andhra Pradesh Police about the theft of 1008 engine units worth 2.3 million dollars (Rs 19 Crore). The complaint by Kia also reveals that the missing engine units were sourced by its sister car manufacturer, Hyundai. The brand raised suspicion of a conspiracy between past and present employees of the company, and now the police investigation has found a team leader and a section head of the engine dispatch section, involved in illegally transporting the engines using forged invoices and fake gate passes.

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How Kia Identified The Issue?

Kia told Reuters in a statement that the brand identified errors as it strengthened its inventory management processes last year. The brand conducted an internal investigation, citing the discrepancies, and then reported the whole incident to the state police. As reported by Reuters, K Raghavan, the Inspector in charge of the case, said in his investigation document that, entire operation involved repeated illegal transactions, and the use of multiple trucks bearing manipulated or pseudo registration numbers.

(with inputs from Reuters)