Punjab Police have intensified their crackdown on the theft of critical 4G and 5G telecom infrastructure belonging to Bharti Airtel Limited, arresting 17 more accused and taking the total number of arrests to 126, with 140 FIRs registered across the state. The sustained enforcement drive has helped avert large-scale disruption of essential public telecom services.
Following repeated incidents of high-value telecom equipment theft, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav. The SIT, headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rajpal Singh Sandhu, coordinated closely with district Punjab Police units to track down the culprits and recover stolen infrastructure.
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Sharing operational details, SIT Chairman IGP Rajpal Singh Sandhu said the accused primarily targeted GUC1 Cards, also known as Base Band Units, which are vital for 4G and 5G signal transmission. He said the thefts were carried out swiftly, often within two minutes, resulting in serious disruptions to voice and data services in affected areas.
Punjab Police Combine Surveillance and Human Inputs to Trace Criminal Linkages
The IGP said Punjab Punjab Police relied on a mix of technical surveillance and human intelligence to dismantle the organised networks behind the thefts. He added that further investigations were underway to identify both forward and backward linkages and expose the entire criminal chain.
Punjab Police have warned anti-social elements to immediately stop such activities or face strict legal action. With district Punjab Police units forming special crack teams, more arrests are expected as the investigation progresses.