CHENNAI: A Bengaluru-based electronics shop owner was arrested on Friday for allegedly purchasing hard disks stolen from the TNEB headquarters in Chennai. Murali Manohar (32) was taken into custody based on the confession of another suspect, Gopinath (31), Chintadripet police said.
Police had earlier arrested Gopinath, a contract employee engaged in Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) work through a private firm at the TNEB HQ. The police said that the hard disks were reported missing from computers used at the TNEB HQ. Based on a complaint lodged on June 1, the police registered a case and formed five special teams to probe the theft. An investigation revealed that the hard disks were removed on May 18 and that Gopinath had access to the premises as part of AMC-related work. Based on his confession, police traced the stolen hard disks to Manohar, who owns a shop in a commercial complex in Bengaluru. All stolen disks have been recovered, police said.
A total of 34 hard disks and 20 RAM modules, allegedly stolen from various establishments where Gopinath had previously worked as a contract employee, have also been seized. Police said steps are being taken to retrieve data from the seized hard disks through legal channels. Both accused have been remanded in judicial custody.