Karnaprayag power line theft: 4 UP men arrested, ₹8 lakh material recovered
Synopsis
Chamoli Police cracked a ₹8 lakh power line material theft in under 24 hours — using CCTV footage to track a suspicious mini-loader vehicle to the Gauchar outpost, where all four UP-based accused were arrested on the spot and the entire stolen consignment recovered. The theft targeted infrastructure sites of the Centre's RDSS power distribution scheme.
Key Takeaways
Four men from Uttar Pradesh arrested for stealing power line materials worth ₹8 lakh from Karnaprayag, Uttarakhand .
Stolen items included approximately 1,100 metres of PVC cable, 3–4 quintals of aluminium wire, and hardware stored at Nauti, Pudiyani, and Jakh villages.
Entire consignment recovered within 24 hours after CCTV analysis identified a suspicious 'Chhota Hathi' vehicle.
Accused intercepted at Gauchar police outpost and arrested on the spot.
Materials were part of an active project under the RDSS scheme run by T.S.
Power Corporation Limited .
Chamoli Police arrested four men, all residents of Uttar Pradesh, on charges of stealing power line construction materials worth ₹8 lakh from sites in the Karnaprayag area of Uttarakhand's Chamoli district. The entire stolen consignment was recovered within 24 hours of the complaint being filed, officials confirmed on Sunday, 5 July.
What Was Stolen
On 4 July, Nakul Kumar, a site engineer with T.S. Power Corporation Limited, lodged a complaint at the Karnaprayag Police Station reporting the theft of approximately 1,100 metres of PVC (ABC) cable, 3–4 quintals of aluminium wire, and assorted hardware materials. The items had been stored at sites in the Nauti, Pudiyani, and Jakh villages, where work was ongoing under the RDSS scheme — a central government programme for power distribution infrastructure upgrades.
How Police Cracked the Case
Acting on instructions from Chamoli Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar, a case was immediately registered and an investigation team formed under Karnaprayag Circle Officer Trivendra Singh Rana and Station House Officer Vinod Thapliyal. The team combed the crime scene and analysed CCTV footage from nearby routes, which revealed the nighttime movement of a suspicious 'Chhota Hathi' (mini-loader) vehicle. Police intercepted the vehicle at the Gauchar police outpost, where a search led to the recovery of the full consignment and the on-the-spot arrest of all four accused.
The Accused
The four arrested individuals have been identified as Mohd. Danish (23) and Chand Mohammad (20), both residents of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh; Farman (30), a resident of Sambhal, UP; and Sueb (23), a resident of Bulandshahr, UP. All four were arrested at the point of interception.
Official Statement
'Under the direction of the Chamoli Superintendent of Police, the district police once again demonstrated swift and effective action by successfully solving the case of stolen power line construction materials worth approximately ₹8 lakh. They recovered the entire consignment and arrested the accused involved,' officials said in a statement.
What Happens Next
The accused are in police custody and are expected to face charges under relevant provisions of the law. The recovered materials will be returned to the project site, allowing work under the RDSS scheme to resume. The swift resolution underscores the vulnerability of infrastructure project sites — often in remote areas — to organised material theft, a recurring challenge across Uttarakhand's hill districts.
Point of View
But the incident points to a structural problem: remote RDSS project sites in Uttarakhand's hill districts are routinely left with high-value materials and minimal on-site security. This is not an isolated case — infrastructure theft along power and road project corridors in the hills has been a persistent pattern. Until project agencies mandate secure storage and night watchmen as conditions of contract, police efficiency after the fact will remain the only deterrent — and that is a weak one.
NationPress
5 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was arrested in the Karnaprayag power line theft case?
Four men from Uttar Pradesh were arrested: Mohd. Danish (23) and Chand Mohammad (20) from Moradabad, Farman (30) from Sambhal, and Sueb (23) from Bulandshahr. All were apprehended at the Gauchar police outpost in Chamoli district.
What materials were stolen in the Karnaprayag theft?
Approximately 1,100 metres of PVC (ABC) cable, 3–4 quintals of aluminium wire, and assorted hardware materials were stolen. The total value of the stolen goods was estimated at ₹8 lakh.
How did Chamoli Police recover the stolen materials so quickly?
Police analysed CCTV footage from routes near the crime scene, which revealed the suspicious nighttime movement of a 'Chhota Hathi' mini-loader vehicle. The vehicle was intercepted at the Gauchar police outpost, where the full consignment was recovered and the accused arrested on the spot.
What is the RDSS scheme and why were the materials there?
The RDSS (Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme) is a central government programme for upgrading power distribution infrastructure. The stolen materials were stored at sites in Nauti, Pudiyani, and Jakh villages for an ongoing power line replacement project under this scheme, managed by T.S. Power Corporation Limited.
Who led the Chamoli Police investigation?
The investigation was conducted under the supervision of Karnaprayag Circle Officer Trivendra Singh Rana and Station House Officer Vinod Thapliyal, acting on the instructions of Chamoli Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar.
