3 arrested, $218,000 worth of electronics recovered by CHP officers

KERN COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A two-day operation resulted in three arrests and $218,000 worth of electronics recovered by California Highway Patrol Officers.

The CHP says the entire cargo load featured items like Meta Quest 2 virtual reality headsets and Ray-Ban Sunglasses.

On Tuesday, CHP detectives, along with several other agencies, launched an investigation into a truckload of electronic merchandise originating from Kentucky that was heading to a distribution center in Tulare County.

The truck made an unscheduled stop in Kern County, and officers say they witnessed the driver and passengers tampering with the trailer's security devices.

When the truck did not arrive at its scheduled destination, officers conducted an enforcement stop on the truck as it entered Madera County from Fresno County.

Officers arrested the driver, 32-year-old Pavittar Singh Bains, and his two passengers, 27-year-old Balraj Singh Judge and 36-year-old Simrandeep Singh.

All three were booked into the Kern County Jail on the charges of grand theft of cargo, possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools and criminal conspiracy.