Gang of mobile tower battery thieves busted in Palghar; 9 held
Palghar (PTI): Police on Wednesday claimed to have busted a gang stealing batteries from the server rooms of mobile phone towers with the arrest of nine persons in Maharashtra's Palghar district.
As many as 24 batteries valued at Rs 12,000 were stolen from the mobile tower server room in Bhalivali village on December 5, Virar crime unit-III senior police inspector Pramod Badakh said.
The thieves had broken the lock of the tower cabin and stolen the batteries, he said.
The Mandvi police then registered an FIR under section 303(2) (theft) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Following various complaints of such thefts in the region, the police intensified their probe. They worked on leads, including the CCTV footage of the locations as well as technical and intelligence inputs.
They subsequently arrested nine persons, including two scrap dealers who purchased the stolen materials, the official said.
During the interrogation of the accused, it came to light that they had committed similar thefts in Vasai, Virar, Wada, Boisar and other areas in the district, he said.
So far, six such cases registered with the Mandvi, Virar, Pelhar, Naigaon and Boisar police have been detected, the official said.
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Two arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting woman at knifepoint in Kochi
Kochi (PTI): Two persons have been arrested after a three-member gang allegedly sexually assaulted a woman at knifepoint near Ernakulam Junction Railway station, officials said on Friday.
The arrested accused were identified as Danish (26), a native of Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram district, and Rahul (39), a native of Paravoor in Kollam district.
Police officials said they were searching for the prime accused, Sanjay, a native of Aroor in Alappuzha district.
According to police, the incident occurred on the night of May 5 when the victim was chatting with her friend near a closed hotel near Ernakulam Junction Railway station.
Officials said the accused approached them, attacked the victim’s friend and then allegedly threatened the woman with a knife before sexually assaulting her.
Police said the accused also allegedly disrobed the victim during the attack.
However, the woman managed to escape from the spot and approached a nearby shop for help.
Police were informed immediately and shifted the victim to the police station.
Officials said the accused were heavily drunk at the time of the incident and went into hiding soon after the attack.
Police registered a case on May 6 under charges including rape, disrobing a woman, criminal intimidation and robbery.
The two accused were later arrested in the city, while efforts are continuing to trace Sanjay, police said.
The accused were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.
