Kendujhar: Police Thursday busted an organised inter-district gang involved in theft of transformer copper coils, aluminium/copper wires and other electrical materials and arrested 16 accused persons in Odisha’s Kendujhar district, an officer said.
The gang was operating across Kendujhar, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Anugola, Dhenkanal and Kataka districts, and disposing of the stolen materials through different scrap dealers, the officer said.
Police said an investigation revealed that the accused persons have committed crimes in 20 locations in Kendujhar district. They were mostly engaged in theft of transformer copper coils, electrical wires, tower cables, tower batteries and other electrical materials. Police had formed teams to apprehend the gang from different locations.
The investigation further revealed that, apart from the present case, members of the gang were involved in similar offences in different police station areas of Kendujhar, Mayurbhanj. Jajpur, Anugola and Dhenkanal districts.
“The gang was operating in a coordinated manner, with different members performing specific roles such as identification of targets, execution of theft, dismantling of transformers, transportation and disposal of stolen materials through receivers/scrap dealers,” the officer said.
Police have seized two cars, 10 quintals of aluminium wire, melted copper coil 50 kg, melted copper coil 60 kg and other materials from an accused.
Apart from this incident, the gang has committed similar crimes in Mayurbhanj, Kendujhar, Anugola, Jajpur, and Dhenkanal districts, the police said.