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Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Indian Express
Delhi: Poor phone signal? Thieves targeting mobile tower parts could be to blame
In 2023, the national nodal officer of Airtel, one of the largest telecom service providers in the country, filed a complaint with the Delhi Police that its signal transmission was going haywire at many places in the Capital. Turns out, it was because Remote Radio Units (RRUs) and Base Band Units (BBU), components attached to the company's towers, worth crores, were being stolen. A senior police officer, involved in the probe, explained that this equipment is a vital component of mobile towers: 'BBUs receive signals from mobile users via antenna, which transfers the signal to RRUs for further processing of voice calls and data services like the internet.' Between 2023 and 2025, 7,000 RRUs of Airtel towers, worth Rs 350 crore, were stolen from Delhi-NCR. 'Frequent calls about service disruptions were being reported to Airtel. When an RRU is stolen, it takes almost a day to reinstall the new parts and resume normal services. For that entire day, the whole area serviced by the tower suffers,' a police officer said. A team from the Inter-State Cell of the Crime Branch was set up, under Inspector Shivraj Singh, to investigate major FIRs of thefts — it would end up uncovering a cross-border racket. What the probe showed Officials involved in the probe said most stolen RRUs and BBUs were being sold on the black market in the Trans Yamuna region. They were then smuggled out of the country. 'The components were stolen from areas around Seelampur, Shahdara, Jaitpur in the Trans Yamuna areas to Palam, Delhi Cantonment in Southwest Delhi,' a police officer said. The process of stealing this equipment involves three people. 'A person would climb the tower and detach the component. He would then climb down, where another person would be waiting on a bike. That person would take the RRU to another person, parked a couple of kilometres away, who would then take it to the black market,' a police officer said. A mobile tower has four RRUs, a police personnel said, each costing around Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. Every time thieves target a tower, a direct loss of Rs 20 lakh is incurred by the company. On January 18, the Crime Branch team received an input that two RRUs were stolen from an Airtel tower in Palam. The team arrested five people: Harish Chander, Mumtyaj, Ramdhan, Ajay and Virender. Their questioning revealed they were involved in more such thefts. 'The accused persons admitted to stealing more than 100 RRUs from different mobile towers across Delhi-NCR. On checking, several FIRs were found registered in Delhi-NCR regarding the thefts,' Additional CP (Crime) Sanjay Sain said. Indus Power Limited, a registered entity with the Department of Telecommunications, which handles maintenance and installation of these RRUs, was asked by the police to share the locations of all RRUs before they were stolen. Data revealed that people stealing these critical communication units were in touch with scrap dealers in the Trans Yamuna region. String of arrests Earlier, on April 4, 2023, three men — Naseem (32), Imran (30), and Dinesh (45) — were arrested by the Crime Branch team with a mammoth consignment of 51 RRUs and 30 BBUs. During the investigation, police said Dinesh admitted he had supplied 110 RRUs to a man in Dubai for Rs 1.8 crore in cash. 'Naseem and Imran used to purchase RRUs/BBUs between Rs 1.2 to Rs 1.4 lakh, and they, along with Dinesh, further sold it for Rs 1.7 lakh to Rs 1.8 lakh,' a police officer said. Then, in May 2024, the Crime Branch team got a tip-off about a man named Danish, who was stealing RRUs and BBUs in South India and transporting them for buyers in Delhi. The team got a tip-off about a significant consignment coming to the New Delhi railway station on May 29. A trap was laid, and soon two men were spotted unloading bags from a train that came from Vellore. 'Twenty-four RRUs were recovered and two accused persons, Ikram and Mohd Nadeem, were arrested on May 29,' a police officer said. During questioning, the two accused revealed that on the instructions of Danish, they were to sell this consignment to a Punjab-based man, who has a storage godown in Rajpura. The Crime Branch team then collaborated with the CIA, Patiala, to orchestrate a raid on the Rajpura hideout. 'On June 6, 2024, eight people were arrested and 56 BBUs and 55 BTS were recovered from the storage facility,' a police officer said. More arrests followed. In October 2024, the Crime Branch team got another tip-off about an organised RRU syndicate, with links to a Hong Kong-based buyer. At the initial stages, information about a band of five thieves supplying this chain was received. They were all located in a familiar region — the Trans Yamuna range. On October 17, three traps were laid in Sunder Nagri, Mustafabad and Harsh Vihar areas of Delhi, leading to five arrests. 'The accused — Farruk, Abdul Talib, Shahid, Wasim, Hardeep — were arrested for running an RRU theft syndicate and supplying it to a man named Zubair. With the arrests, 42 cases of RRU thefts were solved,' a police officer said. Zubair, police said, was taking RRUs from these thieves and supplying them to men who run cargo courier companies. His arrest, police said, had forced other illegal dealers of RRUs to be on their toes. As the screw around Zubair's network tightened, the police had now their eyes on the middlemen connecting Zubair to the alleged transporter. 'We zeroed in on a Mahipalpur godown, operated by a middleman, who stored the proceeds Zubair bought and then moved it to another man named Sagar Bhatnagar; he transported the RRUs to Hong Kong,' a police officer said. The godown was raided, with the police claiming to have recovered 77 RRUs. 'Sagar was nabbed in December; he admitted that he used to send these RRUs to Hong Kong, by claiming they were electrical switches. This helped him transport the stolen components via air.' 'During the investigation, a record of around 2,750 RRUs was extracted from his office computer, which were sent by him to Hong Kong during the corresponding period,' a police officer said. Meanwhile, telecom company officials said they have now installed advanced security systems, with sirens to extra guards, to curb the thefts. 'Now, the moment an RRU is detached from the tower, an alarm rings, and all the staff near the tower area, including guards and engineers, are warned. Police have also increased patrolling around towers in sensitive areas, with the alarm leading to a swift dispatch of a PCR van,' a company official said.
India Gazette
18-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Agriculture Ministry will work on the theme of 'One Nation-One Agriculture-One Team': Shivraj Singh Chouhan
New Delhi [India], May 18 (ANI): Union Minister of Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chauhan on Sunday participated in the farmers' Convention Krishi Samvaad organised under the 'Vikasit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' in Nagpur, Maharashtra, and addressed the gathering, the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare said in a release. During this, Chauhan and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis felicitated progressive farmers who were doing excellent work in the agriculture sector and extended their best wishes. On this occasion, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said that today, we are announcing 'One Nation, One Agriculture and One Team' from Maharashtra. Today, the central and State Governments, the Chief Minister, the Agriculture Minister, MPs, MLAs, senior scientists, and the entire staff of the Agriculture Department are present here. The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry, State Agriculture Ministry, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Krishi Vigyan Kendra and all agricultural institutes should work together as a team. Shivraj Singh said that if all the institutions are connected, targets are set, and roadmaps are made, then miracles can be made in agriculture. Shivraj Singh said that Maharashtra, the holy land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is amazing. The farmers here are hardworking and progressive; they have infinite possibilities. While praising the Chief Minister, Union Minister Shivraj Singh said that he is constantly trying to transform the agricultural landscape and the fate of the farmers. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, our farmers should become self-reliant, their income should increase, and for this, we all will work together as a team, he added. Another big announcement was made by Shivraj Singh Chauhan, who said that we are going to set up a national-level lab in Pune under the Clean Plant Program. This laboratory will be set up in Pune to conduct research on the original species of plants. Union Agriculture Minister announced this while interacting with the farmers of Vidarbha in the Krishi Samvad program organised under the Vikasit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan in Kavivarya Suresh Bhat Auditorium in Nagpur. Emphasising increasing agricultural production, Shivraj Singh said that the Clean Plant Program is being run to ensure pure and disease-free nurseries. To increase production, farmers should understand the need for good quality seeds, soil testing and reduction in production costs. During the event, Chouhan informed that ICAR has 113 institutes across the country, 11 of which are in Maharashtra. He announced that a meeting with heads of all ICAR institutes would be held at the National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS & LUP) in Nagpur to chart the course for agricultural development in Maharashtra. The government is committed to bridging the gap between laboratories and farmlands. With 16,000 agricultural scientists under ICAR, scientists will visit villages as a team along with agricultural extension officers to educate farmers about new seed varieties and innovative farming practices. Chouhan further stated that during the 15-day campaign from May 29 to June 12, agricultural scientists will visit villages to guide farmers on sustainable farming practices and plan for the Kharif season. On this occasion, Shivraj Singh said that our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is dedicated to taking the country forward. PM Modi's goal is to build a glorious, powerful, prosperous, rich and developed India. Chouhan, along with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, inaugurated the National Soil Spectral Library, which includes data on soil pH Value, density, and elemental composition collected using hyperspectral sensor technology by NBSS & LUP. With this inauguration, Maharashtra became the first state to have a soil map. Additionally, Chouhan launched an AI-based Smart Trap technology for managing the pink bollworm pest affecting cotton crops. This technology will alert farmers about pest infestations in their crops. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis provided details about the Wainganga-Nalganga River Linking Project, which will enhance irrigation capacity in Vidarbha. He clarified that the state government will fully cooperate with the inclusive policy outlined by Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the entire nation. State Agriculture Minister Adv. Manikrao Kokate noted that labour shortages for cotton picking have become a challenge. Research and development are underway for battery-operated small tractors, and if successful, the results will be presented to the Agriculture Ministry. During the event, farmers from the Nagpur division excelling in natural farming, organic farming, and farmer-producer organisations were felicitated by the Union Agriculture Minister and the Chief Minister. The program saw a large attendance of farmers and agricultural officers from the Nagpur division. (ANI)
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Union min flags off housing drive under ‘Mor Awas Mor Adhikar' in CG
Raipur: Union Minister for agriculture, farmers welfare, and rural development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan , during his visit to Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, reviewed the implementation of central govt schemes. He will participate in a flagship housing programme for rural beneficiaries under Mor Awas Mor Adhikar (My Home, My Right) event in Ambikapur and hand over keys to 51,000 newly constructed homes to the beneficiaries. Speaking to reporters in Raipur on Tuesday, Union Minister Shivraj Singh reflected on the progress of central schemes in Chhattisgarh and criticized the previous government for its failure to implement key housing initiatives under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana ( PMAY )."You may remember the 'Mor Awas Mor Adhikar' movement that began under the previous govt. Despite recommendations from their own Panchayat and Rural Development Minister, the then Chief Minister did not allocate the PMAY funds," Chouhan said that although Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sanctioned the funds, the state govt failed to utilize them, resulting in millions of eligible beneficiaries being deprived of housing. "Denying a home to the poor is nothing short of a sin," he the BJP's commitment, he said, "We had pledged that once our govt is formed, every eligible beneficiary would receive a home—and today, I am satisfied that under the Prime Minister's leadership, we have fulfilled that promise."He praised the Chhattisgarh govt for speeding up housing construction and added that 32,000 homes have also been allotted under the PM Janman scheme, aimed at especially vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs).For surrendered Naxalites, 15,000 homes have been sanctioned and construction has also said that the incomplete houses from the former state govt's Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana are now being completed.A fresh housing survey has been launched to identify those left out, with physical verification underway to ensure inclusion. "My only desire is that the farmers of Chhattisgarh progress even further. A developed Chhattisgarh is essential for building a developed India," the Minister concluded.
