AMBIKAPUR: Police have arrested three people in connection with the theft of dozens of water taps from a Congress office in Chhattisgarh’s Ambikapur, nearly three weeks after the unusual case drew attention for a message left behind at the scene.
The theft took place on the night of May 14 and 15 at Rajiv Bhavan, the district Congress office located near Collectorate Chowk. Thieves entered the building and removed 73 tap fittings from bathrooms and wash basins.
The value of the stolen items was estimated at around Rs 1 lakh.
The case gained attention after the accused allegedly wrote “I Love You” on the floor of the office before leaving.
Police said two young men, identified as Shiv Das and Vishnu Yadav, both around 19 years old, have been arrested in the case. A businessman who allegedly purchased the stolen items has also been taken into custody.
The breakthrough came after Youth Congress district vice-president Vikas Kesari spotted two suspicious youths in the Chowpati area. According to party leaders, he questioned them about the theft.
The two initially denied any involvement but reportedly tried to run away during the conversation. Kesari and his associates caught them and handed them over to police.
“The accused later admitted to stealing the taps from the Congress office and selling them to a local businessman,” police said.
During questioning, the accused told investigators that they had sold the stolen taps to businessman Shyam Agrawal, a resident of Jaystambh Chowk. Police later registered a case against him and arrested him for allegedly purchasing the stolen property.
Officials said the three accused were produced before a court and further legal action is under way.
Congress leaders claimed that this was the third theft reported at Rajiv Bhavan in the past two years. They alleged that earlier theft cases remain unsolved and questioned the pace of the initial investigation in the latest case.
The incident has drawn attention not only because of the theft itself but also because of the unusual message left behind by the accused at the crime scene.
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