Copper Worth Rs 1 Cr Stolen From JNTU Solar Plant
Copper wire worth nearly Rs 1 crore has been stolen from the solar power plant on the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) Sultanpur campus in what officials describe as one of the most serious security breaches in recent years.
Hyderabad: Copper wire worth nearly Rs 1 crore has been stolen from the solar power plant on the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) Sultanpur campus in what officials describe as one of the most serious security breaches in recent years. The theft, discovered during a routine inspection, involved the removal of heavy-gauge copper cables used for transmitting power within the plant.
Following a complaint, police are probing how the wire was cut and removed from the premises without alerting security personnel. Investigators are examining the possible use of vehicles to move the material and checking for surveillance blind spots and missing footage from the plant’s restricted zone.
Students expressed concern over the magnitude of the theft. “This cannot be dismissed as a minor lapse. Copper of such volume cannot vanish unless the surveillance system fails completely,” said student Jawwaji Dileep. He added that the incident exposed serious flaws in night patrols and campus monitoring.
Another student, N. Rahul, said internal collusion must be investigated. “If staff involvement is established, recovery should be made from their salaries. Students want full accountability for the loss of public property,” he said.
JNTU Hyderabad registrar Prof. K. Venkateswara Rao said a high-level inquiry had been ordered. “A committee will examine how the theft occurred and identify those responsible. We have also filed a police complaint so that an external investigation runs alongside ours,” he said.
