61 arrested for theft of high-value 5G infra across Punjab: Police

Chandigarh, Sep 16 (PTI) Punjab Police on Tuesday said it has arrested 61 persons and registered 95 FIRs across the state for the theft of critical 5G telecom infrastructure.

Following reports of thefts involving high-value 5G infrastructure, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted on the orders of DGP Gaurav Yadav.

Headed by DIG Rajpal Sandhu, the SIT worked in close coordination with district police units to arrest the accused and make massive recoveries of stolen equipment, police said.

Sharing details, Sandhu said the accused specifically targeted high-value essential GUC1 cards (base band units), which are critical for the transmission of 4G and 5G signals.

“The entire theft operation was executed in under two minutes, after which the culprits fled the scenes,” he said.

Using a combination of technical surveillance and human intelligence, Punjab Police successfully busted the networks involved in the thefts, the officer said.

"Further investigation is underway to unravel the entire racket," the DIG said, adding that the SIT is also probing the possibility of insider involvement.

Police have warned anti-social elements to cease such activities immediately or face strict legal action. PTI CHS ARI