Residents of the Surya Chowmuhani area in Agartala on Friday apprehended three thieves red-handed and recovered a large quantity of stolen copper wires allegedly taken from air-conditioner units before handing them over to the police.
Sources said that local residents under the jurisdiction of West Agartala police station caught two of the accused while they were allegedly stealing copper wires from the air-conditioning units of a house in the area.
During the search, the residents reportedly recovered copper wires believed to have been removed from more than 35 air-conditioners. Based on the confessional statements of the two detained thieves, the locals also detained the owner of a scrap shop who allegedly used to purchase the stolen copper wires.
The police were subsequently informed and took all three accused into custody. Police said the three are habitual drug addicts and allegedly resorted to theft to finance their drug addiction. Further investigation is underway.