Latur cops recover 7 stolen submersible motor pumps, arrest 2 from Dharashiv district

Latur, Nov 17 (PTI) Police have recovered seven submersible motor pumps stolen from villages in Latur district and arrested two persons in this connection from adjoining Dharashiv district in central Maharashtra, an official said on Monday.

These pumps were worth around Rs 1,05,000, said police inspector Arvind Pawar.

According to police, the thefts of these motor pumps had occurred from seven farmers' wells in Gangapur and Saro villlages in Latur tehsil.

All seven stolen pump motors were recovered from the accused and handed back to farmers on Saturday, bringing them much-needed relief ahead of the rabi (winter) crop season.

Farmers had lodged complaints after submersible pump motors installed in their wells were stolen by unidentified persons in July and August. Two cases were registered at the Latur Rural Police Station under the BNS section related to theft.

District SP Amol Tambe formed a special investigation team and directed officers to initiate result-oriented action.

Acting under the guidance of Additional SP Mangesh Chavan, teams from the Local Crime Branch (LCB) and rural police began technical analysis and discreet surveillance in the affected areas.

During the probe, police tracked down two suspects, Kundan Gajendra Kale (27) and Shubham Dashrath Bansode (20), both residents of Dharashiv district. Both were arrested and during the interrogation, they confessed to committing the thefts along with two other accomplices who remain absconding, said the official.

Efforts are underway to trace the remaining accomplices involved in the theft ring, he added. PTI COR RSY