Pune: Three arrested for stealing Rs 54 Lakh Telecom Line Card from Vodafone Idea office in Vega Center at Swargate 

Pune city police have apprehended three individuals for the alleged theft of a telecom line card, valued at approximately Rs 54 lakh, from Vodafone Idea’s main switching centre in Pune. The incident occurred at Vega Center, a commercial building near Swargate.

The suspects have been identified as Bharmubirappa Pujari, 39, a security guard from Katraj; Deepak Tadake, 48, a technician from Yerwada; and Pritamkumar Kamal, 32, from Khadakwasla.

The theft came to light on April 4 when Vodafone Idea officials noticed the missing line card from their facility. Reviewing CCTV footage from the premises, they spotted an individual carrying the line card and exiting the main gate around 4 am on April 11. The footage also captured Pujari, who was on duty, behaving suspiciously.

Following the discovery, a formal complaint was lodged by a manager from Vodafone Idea at the Swargate police station on April 16. The investigation led the police to detain Pujari for further questioning, which subsequently unearthed the involvement of Tadake and Kamal in the theft. According to the police, the trio had stolen the line card and sold it to a scrap dealer in Delhi.

The Pune police quickly worked with their counterparts in Delhi, and on Monday they were able to recover the stolen item. According to Senior Police Inspector Dilip Fulpagare, “The accused sold the line card of Vodafone Idea to a scrap dealer in Delhi. We are continuing our investigation into the matter.” The police are conducting a deeper investigation to possibly uncover further details and prevent such incidents from happening again in the future.