Siliguri, 19th April: Siliguri police have arrested a total of six individuals in two separate cases related to the theft of advertising hoardings and banners from different parts of the city.
According to reports, an advertising company had legally installed high-value advertising boards in various locations across Siliguri after securing permission from the Siliguri Municipal Corporation and paying the necessary fees. However, several of these boards were stolen during nighttime by unknown miscreants.
Despite repeated complaints lodged by the advertising company, the culprits remained unidentified for some time.
Acting on CCTV footage and intelligence inputs, police arrested two suspects Bittu Das and Vicky Biswas on April 16. They were presented in Siliguri court and taken into three-day police custody. During interrogation, the names of Raj Sarkar and Utsav Sheel also surfaced, leading to their arrest on Friday. A significant number of stolen iron and aluminium boards were recovered from their possession.
The company reported that hoardings had been stolen from Children’s Park, Hakim Para, Pakurtala More, Panitanki More, and Amatalla. The thieves reportedly dismantled the hoardings from electric poles before fleeing with them. All four accused were produced before the Siliguri court on Saturday.
In a separate case, Bhakti Nagar police arrested two more individuals, identified as Prithvi Sonar and Anthony Sonar, in connection with the theft of hoarding and banner frames. A large number of stolen banners were recovered from them.
Both accused were presented before the Jalpaiguri court on Saturday. The investigation into both cases is ongoing.