Delhi: 3 arrested in connection with stolen CCTV camera hard disks in Burari

Two men, who stole hard disks from CCTV cameras on roads, have been arrested, along with a third person who bought the stolen hard disks, Delhi Police said on Thursday

Two men, who stole hard disks from CCTV cameras on roads, have been arrested, along with a third person who bought the stolen hard disks, Delhi Police said on Thursday.

On September 22, CCTV cameras in the Burari area had stopped working. (Representative photo/HT Archive)

Police said the three were arrested in connection with a case registered in Burari regarding the theft of at least 17 CCTV cameras installed on the roads of north Delhi’s Burari.

Police recovered three stolen hard disks of 4TB storage each and five DVR boxes from the three men.

Deputy commissioner police (north) Sagar Singh Kalsi said that on September 22, CCTV cameras in the Burari area had stopped working. “Service engineers of the CCTV camera company confirmed that the hard disks of 17 cameras were missing. A case was then registered based on the complaint of the company’s area manager,” said DCP Kalsi.

During investigation, police said, the investigating officers checked footage of at least 150 cameras in nearby areas. “On the footage, we saw the two persons involved in stealing the disks. They were also seen riding a motorcycle after stealing the hard disks. With technical help, a clearer photograph of the suspected persons was obtained and many photos were circulated on social media. Local informers were also deployed. With the help of local sources combined with technical support, the team conducted raids and succeeded in arresting the two accused persons Rajan Billa alias Sonu,42, and Pankaj Saini, 29. Police found one of the hard disks in their possession.

Police said the two men confessed to have stolen the hard disks and selling them to their contact at the Lajpat Rai Market near Red Fort.

“After questioning the two men, we conducted raids and arrested the third person, Chander Shekhar Chauhan, 41. He admitted his role in the present case. Two other hard disks were recovered from his possession. He also disclosed that he had sold the rest of the disks to unknown customers for ₹20,000,” said DCP Kalsi.

Police said Billa has a history of being involved in burglary cases. Police have found his name registered in connection with at least 21 burglary cases across the city. His accomplice Pankaj too has at least two cases of burglaries and one of motor vehicle theft registered against him. Police are probing the criminal history of Chauhan.

The two men told police that they stole the CCTV hard disks at night and sold them to Chauhan for about ₹1000-1500 each. Chauhan then sold them for ₹3000-4000 each.