The Kanpur Police has busted an inter-district gang allegedly involved in stealing electricity transformers and wires across Uttar Pradesh, arresting eight people, including a scrap dealer accused of purchasing the stolen material. The police seized 164 kg of aluminium wire, 98 kg of copper binding, three transformer coils and Rs 68,000 in cash during the operation.The gang was active across several districts, including Kanpur Dehat, Unnao, Lucknow and Fatehpur, police said.
A joint team of Chaubeypur police, SWAT and surveillance units of the West Zone arrested the accused and seized cash, transformer components and metal wires allegedly stolen from transformers.Acting on a tip-off, police intercepted a black Scorpio, detained and searched seven people travelling in the vehicle. The police recovered Rs 68,000 in cash, eight bundles of aluminium wire weighing 164 kg, three coils of copper binding weighing 98 kg and three transformer coils.During questioning, the accused told police that the cash had been obtained by selling internal components of transformers stolen earlier.
Investigators were probing the thefts in connection with a case registered at Chaubeypur police station. Police said the gang sold the stolen material to a scrap dealer identified as Umesh Gupta, who was also arrested.
The Scorpio used in the thefts was seized under Section 207 of the Motor Vehicles Act. The vehicle belongs to another accused, Ranjeet Srivastava, police said.The arrested accused have been identified as Ranjeet Srivastava (47), Umesh Gupta (35), Chandan (24), Alok Pandey (30), Devansh Dubey (20), Aditya Mishra (23) and Gautam Rajput alias Thapa (31).
All are residents of Kanpur, though some originally belong to UP's Fatehpur and West Bengal. According to the police, the accused have criminal cases registered against them in several police stations across Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat, Unnao, Fatehpur and Lucknow.
These include cases linked to theft and the purchase of stolen property. Alok Pandey has the highest number of cases registered against him, police said.All eight accused have been sent to judicial custody.
Police are investigating their criminal records and looking for other people who may have been involved in the racket.- Ends(with inputs from Ranjay Singh)