The District Crime Branch arrested six persons, including two minors, and claimed to have busted a gang which was involved in cutting tower angles of High Tension (HT) towers installed in Durg and Bemetara regions.
The gang had tower angles of Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company limited (CSPDCl) and Jindal Power limited, police said on Monday.
Tower angles, gas cutter and vehicle used in the crime all worth Rs 12.98 lakh were seized from the gang, police said adding the gang's kingpin was also nabbed.
The police said, the accused were identified as Gajendra Kumar Maurya alias Shera alias Bhanupratap Maurya (40) resident of Chhowni Bhilai, Sanjay Sahu alias Golu alias Pardesiram Sahu (19), Blaod, Sohan Singh Singrol (45) hailing from Gudhiyari, Omprakash Sao alias Kalia alias Mahesh Sao (36) from Urla, Raipur and two minors.
Gajendra Kumar, the gang leader in the past was involved in black-marketing of kerosene oil but under police pressure he had to stop the activity, police said. He was nabbed from Ahiwara bus stand on the basis of suspicion and during interrogation, he confessed of committing the crime, police informed.
Detailing the Modus Operandi of the gang, police said after harvesting of crops it becomes easy to reach towers standing in middle of any farm through the tracks created by farmers to transport crop out of field by tractor or some other vehicle.
The gang used to reach towers through those tracks, cut out tower angles load it on a vehicle and sell in black, police said. Based on the information provided by Gajendra Kumar the rest of gang members were held and the iron was seized, police added.