Agartala, 14th October 2026 : In a major breakthrough in the investigation into a series of battery thefts involving e-rickshaws and autorickshaws in the city, police have arrested three persons and recovered two e-rickshaws along with 13 stolen batteries. According to police, one of the arrested persons has a previous criminal record.
West Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sanjit Sen shared details of the operation with the media on Wednesday.
According to police sources, several complaints of battery theft from e-rickshaws and autorickshaws had been reported in the police station’s jurisdiction over the past few days. On October 9, an e-rickshaw owner parked his vehicle beneath a flyover and went to a nearby market. When he returned after around 30–40 minutes, he found the vehicle missing. He subsequently lodged a complaint at the Battala Police Outpost.
Following the complaint, police launched an investigation and examined CCTV footage from the surrounding areas, which helped them identify a suspect. During questioning, the suspect allegedly admitted to removing the batteries from the stolen e-rickshaw and keeping them at another location with the intention of selling them, police said.
During the investigation, police also received crucial information from a battery shop in the Melarmath area. The shop owner reportedly became suspicious when a person attempted to sell batteries that were suspected to have been stolen. When the individual arrived at the shop with the batteries in an e-rickshaw, the matter came to the notice of the police. Subsequently, police conducted a raid and recovered the stolen batteries as well as the e-rickshaw allegedly used by the accused.
Police said that further interrogation of the first suspect led to the identification of two more persons allegedly involved in the thefts. Both were subsequently arrested following separate police operations.
Altogether, three persons have been arrested in connection with the case. Police have recovered two e-rickshaws and 13 batteries, OC Sanjit Sen confirmed.
According to the OC, one of the accused had previously been arrested in another case. Preliminary investigations suggest that the accused were operating as a group, allegedly stealing batteries from parked e-rickshaws and autorickshaws under the cover of darkness. They would reportedly leave the vehicles at isolated locations after removing the batteries and sell the stolen items.
Police are investigating whether other individuals are involved in the alleged racket and whether the arrested persons have links to additional battery theft cases reported in different parts of the city.
The three accused will be produced before a court, with police seeking their custody for further interrogation, the OC said.
Meanwhile, OC Sanjit Sen urged e-rickshaw and autorickshaw owners to take precautionary measures to prevent such incidents. He advised owners to park their vehicles in designated and secure parking spaces whenever possible and avoid leaving them unattended on roads, particularly when parking facilities are available at home.
Police believe that keeping vehicles in secure locations could help reduce the risk of battery thefts in the city.
