CHENNAI: Police have arrested a Bengaluru-based shop owner in connection with the theft of hard disks from the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) headquarters in Chennai.
The accused, Murali Manohar (32), was taken into custody on Thursday for allegedly purchasing the stolen hard disks from another suspect, according to the Chintadripet police.
Earlier, police arrested Gopinath (31), a contract employee of a private firm handling annual maintenance work at the TNEB head office on Anna Salai. Acting on his confession, investigators traced the stolen hard disks to Manohar, who runs a shop in a commercial complex in Bengaluru.
The hard disks were reported missing from employee computers at the TNEB headquarters. A complaint was filed on June 1, prompting the Chintadripet police to register a case and form five special teams to investigate the theft.
Investigations revealed that the hard disks were stolen on May 18. Further inquiries led to Gopinath, a resident of Ranipet district, who had access to the premises due to his AMC-related role.
Police said all the stolen hard disks have been recovered from Manohar. Additionally, 34 hard disks and 20 RAM modules — allegedly stolen from various establishments where Gopinath had previously worked as a contract employee — were also seized.
Both accused have been arrested and remanded. Authorities are working to retrieve data from the seized hard disks through proper legal channels. Further investigation is ongoing.