Four arrested for stealing water pipes worth Rs 3L

In a case highlighting the desperation to make easy money, the Solan police arrested four persons from Tipra in Haryana this morning for stealing water pipes worth Rs 3 lakh from a road near Jatoli.

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On June7, Bhupinder Thakur, a contractor working with the Jal Shakti Department (JSD) lodged a complaint at the Sadar police station that after taking on some departmental work a month back, on May 23, he brought 183 pipes of 150 mm from Hisar. He placed 51 pipes near the JSD store, on the road, near Jatoli.

On June 6, he was informed by the JSD store watchman that some pipes kept by the road had been stolen. Subsequently, he lodged a complaint with the police prompting immediate action as it involved theft of public property. An FIR was lodged under Section 303(2) of the BNS for theft.

“During the investigation, the police analysed technical evidence, including the CCTV footage of the said area and managed to identify four accused: Kailash Chand (46), a resident of Nirmand; Mushtaq Muhammad alias Sonu (40), of village Oachghat; Ved Prakash alias Titu (45), of Kumarsein, and Anup Kumar (41), of Kalaghat in Sirmaur district. They were arrested today from Tipra near Parwanoo,” Solan SP Gaurav Singh said.

Their prior criminal records are being probed to figure out how four persons hailing from different places coordinated the crime. They were produced before a court in Solan today.

Of late, thefts have become commonplace here. Besides temple valuables being pilfered away, cases of vehicle theft and stealing from shops have been reported across the district. Since the thieves are usually released on bail, they don't refrain from indulging.