Jaipur: City police Sunday arrested two members of a gang that allegedly stole copper wiring and electrical cables from under-construction buildings across Jaipur, cracking a series of thefts targeting newly built houses over the past few weeks. Police said the accused were suspected to have carried out similar offences in several other police station areas, and further investigation is underway.Deputy commissioner of police (Jaipur West) Prashant Kiran said the arrests followed a probe into repeated thefts of copper wiring, electrical fittings and lighting cables from construction sites. The accused, identified as Mahesh Kumar Meena and Hansraj Meena, allegedly posed as electricians to survey under-construction properties, identify vacant sites and later return at night to steal copper materials.The breakthrough came in connection with an FIR registered at Vaishali Nagar police station after Ghanshyam Meena, a security guard at an under-construction house owned by Manoj Tibdewal near Vijay Dwar on Queens Road, reported a theft. He told police that when he inspected the premises on the morning of July 5, bundles of electrical wiring installed on the first floor were missing, while basement locks had been broken and cartons containing copper materials and electrical cables were stolen.Police examined CCTV footage, which showed two men scaling the compound wall and entering the premises between 1.30 am and 3.20 am on July 5 before fleeing with the stolen material. The value of the stolen property was estimated at Rs 4 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh.During interrogation, the accused allegedly admitted that they exploited their work as electricians to identify vulnerable properties. Police said one gang member kept watch outside while the others entered the premises, after which the stolen copper wiring and electrical materials were allegedly sold to scrap dealers.Police said stolen copper materials and electrical cables have been recovered from the accused, and efforts are on to establish their involvement in other theft cases reported from different parts of the Jaipur commissionerate.
