Te gang allegedly damaged iron poles and telecom installations and stole cables and modules worth lakhs in Bengaluru. File PhotoPosing as telecom staff, an inter-state gang allegedly stripped Bengaluru’s roadside communication infrastructure of copper cables and modules before being arrested by the police, officers said Thursday.The case came to light after a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) employee filed a complaint on April 19 about thefts that occurred between April 17 and 19. The thefts also caused temporary disruptions in BSNL services in parts of the city, affecting connectivity in several localities. Acting on a tip-off, the police tracked down and arrested the three men in Mathikere the same day.The Bengaluru police have arrested Ravi, 23, Sandeep, 32, and Syed Jahed, 40, for targeting BSNL infrastructure, while a fourth accused, Shoyaz from Uttar Pradesh, remains absconding.Also Read | UPS battery theft ‘for a living’: Scrap worker held in Bengaluru, 51 batteries recoveredAccording to the police, two of the arrested men are from Uttar Pradesh, while Jahed, a resident of Kalaburagi, operated locally and facilitated the gang’s movement in the city. The group is believed to have prior links and operated in a coordinated manner.Investigators said the accused travelled from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi by flight, then to Kalaburagi, before reaching Bengaluru in Jahed’s car. They allegedly targeted telecom installations in areas including Yeshwanthpur, Mathikere, Malleswaram, and Sadashivanagar.To avoid suspicion, the accused wore uniforms and helmets resembling BSNL staff and operated both during the day and at night. “When questioned by residents, they would say they were BSNL staff carrying out inspection work,” a police officer said.Also Read | AI in the sky: How AI cameras are helping Bengaluru Police tackle law & order issues — and prevent them tooUsing tools such as cutters, hammers, pickaxes, and screwdrivers, the gang allegedly damaged iron poles and telecom installations and stole cables and modules worth lakhs. They were transporting the stolen material in a car towards the railway stations to take them out of the city when the police intercepted them.Story continues below this adThe police recovered 4,140 modules, 60 metres of copper cable, and the vehicle used in the crime, with the total value estimated at around Rs 7 lakh. Preliminary findings suggest the stolen material was intended for transport to Uttar Pradesh for sale.The police said they are probing whether they are linked to other similar thefts.The arrested accused were produced before a court on April 20 and remanded to judicial custody. Further investigation is underway.