Thieves normally specialize in stealing batteries or transmission lines at communications sites in the U.S., but in an incident in India, thieves went for the full monty, stealing the entire cell site.
The theft occurred last March but wasn’t reported to authorities until last week in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district, where a cell tower, standing at 165 feet and weighing over 10 tons, was disassembled and stolen.
The theft, reported by a tower technician to authorities on November 29, was first noticed on March 31 of this year, but the tech didn’t identify why he waited to file the police complaint last week.
In addition to the theft of the tower itself, various components, including a shelter, electrical fittings, and other equipment, were also stolen. The estimated cost of this equipment amounts to more than $10,000.
According to the tech, his company installed the mobile tower in a field on January 1, 2023. However, when he visited the location for inspection on March 31, the tower had mysteriously vanished.
In January 2023, a similar incident was reported from Patna, Bihar. A group of thieves stole an entire mobile tower that was installed in 2006. Disguised as telecom company employees, the thieves uprooted the 30-foot telecom tower.
In India, upon being found guilty, theft of any kind or amount has a maximum imprisonment term of three years.