Thieves decamp with transceivers from mobile phone tower in Sector 30

Unidentified thieves decamped with four radio transceivers from a mobile phone tower in Sector 30, affecting the cellular network in the entire area for several hours last month, police said on Wednesday.

Police said that the theft took place on October 8, but a complaint against the theft was submitted on Tuesday by a private security firm employee, identified as Hari Ram Yadav. He is engaged in patrolling these tower sites that fall under Sector 40 police station.

An FIR against unidentified thieves was registered under Section 379 (theft) of Indian Penal Code (IPC). Police said similar thefts were reported from other areas as well.

Police said that a transceiver is called a remote radio unit (RRU), which provides network to a mobile phone and enables it to send or receive messages and calls and their disconnection disrupts communication in a specific area.

Investigators said that a RRU costs at least ₹ 1.75 lakh and is a sophisticated instrument that can receive as well as send high frequency radio waves.

Police said they were yet to establish the exact motive behind the theft of the RRUs as they could be used only in the telecommunication sector and not even be sold in the market for any other kind of uses.

Police said three stolen RRUs were being used by a private telecom firm, while the fourth one was being used by another firm to provide cellular network to their respective customers in the area.

Investigators said that they have come to know that at least two more RRUs were stolen from the same tower in Sector 30 hardly a week before the theft on October 8.

“The theft of these transceivers is surprising as they have no other use until someone is technically skilled enough to use them in relaying or receiving any high-capacity radio frequency,” Yadav said.

Arvind Kumar Gomi, area operations manager of a private firm which had installed these towers for the telecom companies, said that he has no idea why these equipment is getting stolen. “We can’t tell anything about it right now,” he said.

Inspector Satish Kumar, station house officer (SHO), Sector 40 police station said they are trying to ascertain the identity of the suspects involved in the theft. “We are trying to ascertain why these thefts are taking place. Probably there is something inside these transceivers which is costly and can be sold in the market,” he said.