Three held after guards foil mobile tower battery theft near Nandura on Mumbai-Nagpur highway

An attempt was made to steal batteries from an Indus company mobile tower near Wadi Phata on National Highway 53 (Mumbai-Nagpur) in Nandura taluka of Buldhana district. Five accused reached the tower at about 2.30 am on Sunday. An alarm suddenly went off during the theft and upset their plan.

According to the information available, the accused damaged the tower's equipment using a ring spanner, pliers and cutters of various sizes. They removed all 24 HBL 600 Power batteries. As they tried to take the batteries out, the tower's alarm sounded and the message went directly to the company's office in Pune. News of the theft thus reached the security arrangement immediately.

On receiving the message, technicians at the company's office informed security guard Madhukar Motiram Lahase. Nandura police were also told of the incident by a call to 112. Security guards Kishor Chopde and Shrikrishna Dhage then reached the tower at once.

A scuffle broke out between the accused and the guards. Two of the accused beat up guard Kishor Chopde and fled the spot. The other guard showed courage and held on to the remaining three accused.

A Nandura police team reached the spot as soon as it was informed. Police took the three men held by the guards into custody. A case has been registered and they have been arrested. According to the information, a vehicle with registration number MH 26 / V-0314 and the 24 batteries have been seized from the accused. The damage to the tower is estimated at about Rs 3 lakh.

Malkapur Sub-Divisional Police Officer Soham Machhare and Police Inspector Jaywant Satav visited the spot and took stock. The three arrested accused were produced in court, which sent them to police custody until Tuesday. Assistant Police Inspector Hemraj Koli is conducting further investigation. Tracing the other two accused who escaped is now a challenge for the police.

The attempt by the group of five to steal the costly batteries was foiled by the alarm and the vigilance of the guards. The courage the guards showed in the early hours, without regard for their own safety, led to three of the accused falling into police hands. The incident is being talked about in the area.