Inter-state gang of 4 arrested for stealing CCTV panel batteries in Noida

Police said that after stealing the batteries, they sold them to a scrap dealer named Irshad, who is currently absconding

The Gautam Budh Nagar police arrested an inter-state gang of four people on Sunday for stealing CCTV panel batteries worth ₹12 lakh from expressways, highways, and crossings in Noida for the past year, police said.

The four suspects in custody. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

Police said that the suspects were identified as Toofani Gupta, 25, a native of Deoria, Rajkumar Kushwaha, 24, Sandeep Gausela, 23, a native of Buxar in Bihar, and Ram Singh, 22, a native of Almora in Uttarakhand. They all were residing in a rented house in Noida’s Sector 135, they added.

Harish Chander, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Noida said that the police had been receiving complaints from the agencies responsible for maintaining CCTV cameras on expressways and highways that batteries fitted in the CCTV’s panel box were being stolen.

“A team was formed under the supervision of the assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Noida name and the suspects were tracked down from their rented house in Sector 105. During the investigation, it was revealed that they used to travel in a loading auto and an e-rickshaw to steal batteries late at night,” DCP Chander said.

He added that after stealing the batteries, they sold them to a scrap dealer named Irshad, who is currently absconding.

The suspect named their group ‘a toofani gang’ and earned lakhs of rupees after selling those batteries.

DCP also said that several cases were registered against the suspects at different police stations in Noida, and 54 batteries, three knives, one country-made pistol, two cartridges, a loading auto, an e-rickshaw, a bike, and tools used in stealing batteries were recovered from their possession.

“The suspects were booked under Section 379 (punishment for theft) of the Indian Penal Code and further investigations are underway,” DCP said.