PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
Dehradun police arrested five accused, including three women, in connection with a theft held at the Dhakrani Hydroelectric Power House in Vikasnagar. The police recovered stolen copper stator coils worth around Rs 25 lakh. The accused have been identified as Sahil, Azhar, Shobha, Manju and Nandni.
According to police, the theft took place on the night of January 4 when some unknown persons had stolen valuable stator coils from the power house and decamped. A complaint had been filed on January 5 by the assistant storekeeper at Vikasnagar police station. Upon receiving the complaint, a police team had inspected the spot and checked CCTV footage from nearby areas.
On Thursday during a vehicle checking near Canal Road, police stopped a vehicle. Five people were found inside it. During the search, stolen stator coils were recovered from it.
During questioning, the accused admitted to having carried out the theft. Police said that the three women work as ragpickers and had earlier visited the power house while collecting scrap. They had noticed copper items in the store and later planned the theft with their associates involved in scrap work. The accused had cut the fencing of the power house and stolen the copper items, which they had hidden in nearby bushes. Police arrested all five accused on the spot and seized the stolen goods and the vehicle.
