Cable thieves caught red-handed in Chintamani

Chintamani

In a dramatic turn of events, two cable thieves who were attempting to steal electric cables in broad daylight in Mailapur village of Chintamani taluk were caught red-handed and thrashed by locals before being handed over to the police.

The accused have been identified as Narasimha and Saifulla, residents of Chintamani town. The villagers, who had been on high alert due to a string of cable thefts over the past year, were waiting in ambush after suspecting movement near borewells. On Monday, the duo was caught stealing power cables from multiple locations and was confronted by locals who immediately took action.

The accused had stolen electric cables from five different borewells — two belonging to Manjunath Gowda and others owned by Anand, Venkatesh Gowda, and a public borewell. The stolen cables were recovered from the suspects at the time of arrest.

The villagers quickly alerted the 112 emergency service and handed over the duo to the jurisdictional Rural Police Station. A formal complaint was filed, and the police have taken the accused into custody for further investigation.

For nearly a year, residents of Mailapur and surrounding villages have been facing repeated incidents of cable theft, particularly from borewells. Despite filing several complaints, the culprits remained unidentified until now. Local leader Manjunath Gowda said the thefts had caused major disruptions to water supply systems and agricultural activities in the area.

The villagers' bravery and vigilance in apprehending the suspects have been widely appreciated. This incident highlights the importance of community participation in maintaining law and order in rural areas. Police have assured further action to dismantle any remaining links in the cable theft racket.