Adilabad police, on Tuesday, busted two three-member inter-state gangs of copper wire thieves and recovered about one tonne wire worth around ₹5.7 lakh from their possession.
The gangs used to steal copper wires from power transformers in rural areas of Adilabad, Kumram Bheem Asifabad and Nirmal districts and Nanded, Chandrapur and Yavatmal districts in Maharashtra.
Announcing this, Superintendent of Police Vishnu S. Warrier said that the accused used to disconnect power, break open the transformer and steal the wire within a matter a few minutes in the dead of the night.
“The quickness of their operation had them escape the eyes of villagers,” he pointed out.
Mr. Warrier congratulated the special team formed to control the crime, about a month back, for its success in arresting five of the six members of the two gangs involved in 39 cases, most of which were in Telangana.
The special team formed under the supervision of DSP N.S.V. Venkateshwar Rao was led by Jainad CI K. Laminarayana.
The accused from the first gang are Jalauddin Khan of Gonda in Uttar Pradesh, now staying in Yavatmal and Areef Shah of Yavatmal and the accused from the second gang are Bobade Gopal Rao, Pimpalkar Ganesh and Yelakar Gnaneshwar, all from Yavatmal district.
