Interstate mobile tower equipment theft racket busted, 3 held

Three persons have been arrested and 30 stolen Remote Radio Units (RRUs) have been seized by the Delhi Crime Branch, in connection with a racket involving the theft and smuggling of mobile tower equipment to Hong Kong and China.

Officials said the racket had links to theft cases in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, and involved a mobile tower installation contractor with technical expertise in dismantling equipment.

On August 23, acting on a tip-off, a crime branch team raided a premises in New Jaffrabad, Delhi, and arrested Zahid, 34, and Chanderkant alias Atul, 24.

Ten RRUs were seized from them, some of which were linked to theft cases reported in Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. A case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered and the accused were remanded to police custody.

Further investigation led to the arrest of Sameer alias Mohammed Aftab, 26, a resident of Malviya Nagar, who disclosed that stolen equipment was being shipped abroad through cargo agents using forged documents.

A raid at Shipping Line Pvt Ltd in Mahipalpur resulted in the recovery of 20 more RRUs, which were to be dispatched to Hong Kong. The police said Sameer had set up a network in Hong Kong and had smuggled hundreds of units earlier, earning Rs 30,000–50,000 per unit.

The recovered equipment was verified with telecom nodal officers, confirming that 11 units matched theft cases registered in Delhi, Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh. Investigators also seized tools used for testing the stolen RRUs.

According to police, the accused transported equipment from Rajasthan to Delhi using state transport buses and later sent them overseas, concealed as amplifiers. The cargo was booked through international courier companies.

A total of 16 theft cases in four states have been solved with these arrests, the Crime Branch said.