In an incident that has put the police of New Delhi district in a tizzy, as many as seven new water meters along with the pipe attached to them were stolen from inside the highly secured Rashtrapati Bhawan earlier this week. Police said they suspect an insider’s role behind the theft.
Sources said workers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan drink inside the premises and might have committed the crime. No arrests have been made in the case. The CCTV camera at the area where the theft took place has been found to be defunct, police said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi district, BK Singh, confirmed the incident and said an FIR has been registered and investigations have been taken up. Several teams have been formed to arrest the accused.
Police said the water meters were installed by Central Public Works Department (CPWD). The theft was discovered by an Assistant Engineer of CPWD when he came to inspect the water meters.
“The water meters were installed at A Block of the Rashtrapati Bhawan towards the Rajendra Prasad vithi side. All the seven meters that were installed were found stolen and the pipes attached to them were also missing,” said the Assistant Engineer in his complaint to the police.
The matter was also immediately apprised to the President Secretariat, which sent a letter to the DCP office demanding arrest of the culprits as soon as possible and recovery of the stolen water meters.
But police has no clue yet as to who may have committed the crime because their only source of information, a CCTV camera ,installed right in front of the place where the water meters were installed, is not functioning.
“Only one CCTV camera is installed in the area where the theft took place and that itself is not functioning. We have to find other ways to get to the bottom of this case. We have started questioning workers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan but till now have not suspected anyone behind the theft,” said a senior police official to The Pioneer.
Based on the complaint of the Assistant Engineer of CPWD, a First Information Report under section 379(punishment for theft) was registered and investigation has been taken up, said a police official of New Delhi district.