VASCO: The Vasco police on Monday arrested three persons including a scrapyard owner for allegedly stealing equipment valued at Rs 12.50 lakh from the PWD storeroom situated at Sada, Mormugao.

Scrapyard owner Nagu Golar, 50 from Birla-Zurinagar, Onba Rathod, 40 and Aparna Rathod 40, both natives of Karnataka have been arrested by the police.

Yeshwant Naik, an official from PWD said that the stolen material was used to repair broken pipelines and were stored in a storeroom of PWD quarters at Sada. The theft came to light on August 24 when a staff, who had gone to bring the equipment, found the shutter of the storeroom broken and equipment missing following which the PWD lodged a complaint with the police.

The police and the local intelligence bureau (LIB) staff apprehended the three accused after they were found them moving suspiciously near the Chicalim joggers park.

The police initially questioned thee accused while they were investigating another theft case wherein antiques worth Rs 3 lakh was stolen from a company shed located at Dabolim. During the course of investigation, the accused confessed to the crime, police said.

The accused have been booked under sections 384 and 454 read with 34 of IPC. Further investigations are on, police said.