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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Bengaluru jail introduces biometric tracking system for prisoners
Bengaluru: In a bid to curb misconduct and illegal activities inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, prison authorities have introduced a new ‘Prisoners Tracking Movement System’ under which inmates will have to undergo biometric verification while entering every barrack.
According to jail officials, biometric systems have been installed across all major sections of the prison, including barracks, visitor rooms, hospital, canteen, kitchen, library, playground, handicraft units and bakery sections. Staff members have also been deployed at these locations.
Officials said inmates visiting the visitors’ room must now obtain a digital token after biometric verification. Details such as the prisoner’s name, identification number and entry time will be updated in the prison software system. This will help authorities maintain a complete digital record of inmates visiting and returning from meeting rooms.
Similar systems have also been introduced at entry points of the hospital, library and other barracks accessed for work-related purposes. Officials said the system will help identify prisoners involved in suspicious or illegal activities with other inmates and enable authorities to track how much time a prisoner spends at different locations inside the prison.
Authorities stated that AI-powered cameras were already being used inside the prison to monitor inmates as well as prison staff. Along with this, digital tracking of prisoner phone calls and a digital token system for visitor meetings have now been added to strengthen surveillance over inmate movement. Officials said the project has been implemented at a cost of around Rs 2.25 crore.
The prison department has also introduced a canteen usage tracking system to monitor prisoners’ spending patterns. Instead of direct cash payments, inmates can purchase bakery items and snacks using wallets or coupons issued within the prison system.
Officials said the digital system will record details including the buyer’s name, items purchased, quantity, date, time and remaining wallet balance. This will allow prison authorities to maintain complete expenditure records of inmates.
