Following a theft of fire safety equipment from Guwahati Medical College and Hospital's (GMCH) super speciality wing, the thief along with two scrap dealers associated with him were nabbed by the hospital's security personnel on Thursday.

GMCH superintendent Dr Abhijit Sarma commended the private security firm for the bust, calling for a thorough investigation to root out scrap dealers across the city dealing in stolen items.

He said, "It was a huge success by our security. My sincere thanks to them. The day before yesterday, our CCTV caught the theft of fire-fighting equipment. We lodged an FIR based on the footage and replaced everything yesterday. After that our security was beefed up. The private security firm deployed additional personnel. The thief who had stolen the items earlier came again and he was caught. During interrogation, he told us that the items were sold to two scrap dealers in Rupnagar and Ulubari."

Identified as Kangkan Deka, the thief was handed over to the police. In follow up action, the hospital's security personnel went to the scrap dealers and managed to recover some of the stolen items.

One of the dealers tried to strike a deal to let the matter go which was brought to the notice of the authorities. Both scrap dealers have been identified as Afridul and Usman Ali.

Sarma said, "Our personnel went to the Ulubari dealer and recovered the items. When they went to the Rupnagar damp, the owner said that the items were sold and sought to make a cash transaction to let the matter slide. We were informed in the morning and we brought both dealers. We informed the police. The thief is in police lockup now," Sarma further said.

The GMCH superintendent added, "Whenever we install new equipment, it is stolen within 15 days, sometimes within 48 hours. Now we know where these items are sold. After this bust, we hope it does not happen again. The police should bust other scrap dealers across Guwahati where stolen items are sold. It will be good for GMCH as well as the public."