Nalgonda: Nine Airtel employees arrested for stealing Rs.1.62 crore worth of tower equipment

Nalgonda: A gang of engineers and other employees of AirTel, who stole expensive Radio Remote Units (RRUs) from the company’s mobile towers, was busted by the district police with the arrest of nine persons, the district SP Sharath Chandra Pawar said.

Giving out details of the peculiar theft of equipment from mobile towers, he said the Crime Control Squad (CCS) painstakingly investigated the case of thefts and cracked several such mysterious instances. The gang had confessed to their involvement in 38 such theft cases across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The stolen equipment is estimated to be worth approximately Rs.1.62 crore.

Following a series of mysterious RRU thefts from mobile towers in different parts of the district, District SP Sharath Chandra Pawar constituted two special CCS teams under the supervision of Nalgonda CCS Inspector M Jitender Reddy.

The teams conducted investigations at several locations across the State and used technical expertise to identify and apprehend the gang. Though outsiders were initially suspected to be behind the thefts, the investigation revealed that the accused were employees and former employees of the same organisation.

The gang comprised three engineers, four riggers (technicians), a driver and a former employee. They allegedly exploited their positions and technical knowledge to steal equipment from the company. After keeping the suspects under surveillance, the special teams apprehended all nine members.

The investigation gained momentum following complaints lodged by Mohammed Yousuf Pasha, an S&IB Security Mobile Patrolling Guard, on September 21 and November 11. He reported that thieves had cut and stolen RRUs from mobile towers at Kamareddy village in Tripuraram mandal and Melladuppalapalli village in Nalgonda mandal. Cases were registered at Tripuraram and Nalgonda Rural police stations.

On November 14, at around 1 am, Nalgonda Rural police, who were checking vehicles on the outskirts of Gigirakalabavi Gudem, intercepted five persons travelling in two cars and a motorcycle under suspicious circumstances. During questioning, the group, which included Bhukya Balu, admitted that they were heading towards Kanchanapalli village to steal RRUs.

Around the same time, Tripuraram police intercepted four persons travelling in a car and two motorcycles during vehicle checks near Baba Sai Peta in Tripuraram. One of them, Ramavath Suman, was identified as a repeat offender. All four were taken into custody and disclosed their involvement in earlier RRU thefts during interrogation.
Modus operandi

Driven by the desire for a lavish lifestyle and quick money, the accused targeted the organisation that employed them. They identified RRUs installed on mobile towers within their operational areas and visited the sites during the night to steal the equipment.

The stolen units were subsequently sold in Hyderabad. The proceeds were spent on purchasing luxury cars and motorcycles, maintaining an extravagant lifestyle and meeting personal expenses.

The arrested persons were identified as Nakirekanti Swarna Kumar, Site Engineer, Miryalaguda; Bhukya Balu, Site Engineer; Srikanth Reddy, Airtel Engineer, Kodad; Ramavath Suman, former Airtel employee; Lakavath Ramulu, former Airtel rigger; Jakkala Nitish Kumar, car driver for Airtel towers in Nalgonda; Pentamalla Mahesh, Airtel rigger; Bheemanapalli Ravi, cell tower technician; and Angothu Tirupathi, Airtel network rigger.

The police recovered three cars worth Rs.25 lakh, two motorcycles, Rs.15 lakh in cash and eight mobile phones from the accused.

Cases uncovered during investigation

• Nalgonda: 9
• Miryalaguda: 16
• Devarakonda: 2
• Suryapet: 8
• Other districts: 3