Naogaon Correspondent:
Police have arrested seven members of an inter-district gang of thieves involved in stealing electric meters in Naogaon. Electric meters and eight mobile phones used in the theft have been seized from them.
Superintendent of Police Mohammad Shafiul Sarwar said this at a press conference at the Superintendent of Police office on Saturday (November 15) afternoon. Earlier, they were arrested in a raid in different areas of the district on Friday (November 14) night.
The arrested are Masud Rana (34), son of Latif of Paharpur area of Sadar upazila, Sanjeev Dewan (30), son of Samad Dewan of Anandanagar area, Irak (32), son of Pintu Sardar of Shialapara area of Chakrampur, Faisal (30), son of Sanwar of Paschimpara area of Chakrampur, Hakim (24), son of Mamunur Rashid of Kathaltali Bhabanipur area, Rubel (32), son of Sekendar Ali of Anandanagar Mridhapara area and Abdullah (30), son of Attab Ali of Dupchanchia police station of Bogra district.
Superintendent of Police Mohammad Safiul Sarwar said at the press conference, “For a long time, an organized gang of thieves had been stealing electric meters in the dark of night in Naogaon, Joypurhat and Bogra districts. After stealing the meters, the gang members used to leave their mobile phone numbers inside the meter boxes to get them back. Later, when they called these numbers, they demanded money through bKash and Nagad.’
He further said that recently, an electric meter was stolen from JK Agro Industries (Rice Mill) owned by Krishna Murari Gupta’s elder brother Rajes Kumar Gupta in Dohali village of Mahadevpur upazila and a mobile number was written on the meter box. Two days later, a deep tube electric meter was stolen from the same place and a mobile number was also written there. Later, when he called that number, he asked to send money to bKash and said that the meter would be returned if he sent the money.
He further said that when the owners of one of the stolen meters informed the electricity office, the electricity office sent them to the police. Later, the DB police conducted a raid and arrested them from different areas of the district. There are multiple cases of theft and robbery against each of them in different police stations. The official claimed that they confessed to stealing the electric meter during the initial interrogation. He also said that they will be sent to court and remanded.