New Delhi [India], April 14 (ANI): The Delhi Police busted an organized interstate gang which was involved in the theft and illegal trade of critical telecom infrastructure.
The Central Range of the Crime Branch, Delhi Police, has busted a sophisticated racket operating across states.
The operation, a result of continuous surveillance and covert ground intelligence, led to the arrest of four accused, including a key receiver, and the recovery of 12 high-value RRUs, tools and equipment used for the thefts, and a taxi used for transportation.
A Remote Radio Unit (RRU), commonly referred to as a Remote Radio Head (RRH), is a transceiver installed on wireless base stations or mobile Towers. These transceivers connect wireless devices with wireless networks, making it possible to send and receive text messages, among other things. A Base Band Unit (BBU) receives a signal from Mobile users via an Antenna, which transfers the signal to RRUs for further processing of voice calls and data services like internet, etc.
Any site going down due to the theft of RRU or BBU impacts the nearby Mobile users’ services, including emergency services like 112, 102, etc. As a result, customers suffer both when making calls and when using Internet services. Once RRU and BBU are stolen, the Mobile Operator has to reinstall this equipment to resume services, and a huge loss is incurred. These articles are vital components required for a mobile network tower.
Delhi being a transit/storage location for stolen RRUs/BBUs, it was a great challenge for Delhi Police to apprehend these receivers/middlemen, as these gang members never used to stay in one place and also changed their locations and storage facilities frequently. To unearth the syndicates involved, various teams from the Crime Branch were deployed. Many operations were carried out by various teams of Crime Branch throughout the country, and huge success was accomplished.
It is pertinent to mention that earlier, teams from ISC, CR, Cyber Cell, and ER-I, ER-II Crime Branch, Delhi, successfully apprehended a total of 52 individuals involved in various interstate gangs specializing in the theft of RRUs (Remote Radio Units) and other related equipment from mobile towers located across Delhi/NCR and other parts of the country.
As a result of their operations, 524 RRUs, 110 BBUs, 161 JIO batteries, and one RRU Testing Machine–installed by multiple telecommunication companies at mobile towers in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab, Jharkhand, Assam, West Bengal, and other states–were recovered. The total value of the recovered items is approximately 10 crores.
The crackdown had a strong deterrent effect, leading to a significant decline in the theft and black-market sale of RRUs in the following months, as confirmed by telecom industry sources and local intelligence inputs. The ongoing operations build upon that success by targeting both the suppliers and receivers involved in this organized interstate racket
Speaking to ANI DCP Crime, Vikram Singh Said The team camped for several days in densely populated and communally sensitive areas of North-East Delhi, including Seelampur, Welcome, and Gonda, known for their narrow lanes, strong local resistance, and logistical challenges. These localities are often used as safe havens by organized criminals, and even identifying the suspects was a huge task due to frequent changes in hideouts, coded communications, and stolen property being moved in disguised forms.
Despite the risk of unrest and operational threats, the Crime Branch team carried out multiple stakeouts, blending into the neighbourhood to gather actionable intelligence. The breakthrough came after painstaking groundwork, coordination with informers, and round-the-clock technical monitoring.
Four accused were arrested, namely Samiruddin, Mohd. Zaheem alias Zaim, Zaid and Mohd. Sultan alias Shobi were arrested into the matter by the police officials.
12 RRUs worth approx. Rs 48 Lakhs, Specialized tools & software used to dismantle RRUs, Bulk scrap of telecom components, Cases Solved 08 cases of RRU theft from Delhi.
The remaining RRUs are being verified with the nodal officers of telecom companies to trace the exact theft locations. A forensic examination of tools and digital devices is underway. Efforts on to identify additional gang members, including interstate handlers and scrap market dealers, possible links to international resale markets also under probe. (ANI)
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