CHENNAI: A thriving scrap business of looting electronic equipment from mobile phone towers and selling them in Delhi and UP markets came to an end for a group of at least 29, after police finally caught up with them and unearthed their network.

Police have been receiving several complaints about electronic equipment being stolen from mobile phone towers in Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, and Thiruvallur. Around 30 special teams were formed to nab those behind the theft.

After it was found that stolen equipment from the towers were being sold in electronic scrap markets in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, police dispersed teams to those states to conduct further investigation.

In Uttar Pradesh, the police nabbed Kamil and Sumsuth. Their questioning revealed that a group of 29 people were involved in the thefts, and most of them were from Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts.

Based on their information, the police arrested Jaffar Khan (29), Jamil (40), Shakil (35), Venkatesan (50), Thirumalai (40), and Isakidurai (38), along with 23 others -- all of them from Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu. The police seized some stolen equipment from them and are investigating further.