Cable theft at police HQ shows lethargy

Theft of copper wire bundles worth `30 lakh from the premises of swanky Police Command Control Centre building being at Banjara Hills on Saturday raised many an eyebrows, putting the law enforcement agency in a tight spot.

Officials, who reportedly took some men into custody with regard to the theft, said robbers had already sold the wires and efforts were on to trace the stolen material. The fact that the theft was reported from within the Command Control Centre itself raises questions about the surveillance and alertness of the cops.

“If someone can plan a theft, execute it and successfully dispose of the stolen property from the prestigious Command Control Centre, which has plans of having its eyes all over Telangana with more than 6.5 lakh surveillance cameras linked to it, one can imagine how lethargic the cops in the city are. Our city is already getting a very bad image due to rising crimes and to add to that is such negligence,” said Abdul Kashi, an activist.

The bundles were stolen with the help of an ambulance stationed at the high-security site in case of emergency. A complaint was lodged at the Banjara Hills police station by the project manager of the site and a case was registered.

The police said two persons were taken into custody on suspicion of theft, including an ambulance driver who was said to be the main suspect. “As the building is about to come to completion, the contractor has started the de-staging and the scrap material is being shifted out of the site to clear the premises. Taking this as an opportunity, an ambulance driver, who is working for the contractor, shifted the copper bundles,” said the police, adding that as construction works were not done with, no CCTC cameras were installed inside. The police further said no outsiders were allowed inside.