Police in Mohali have arrested a security guard for allegedly stealing eight laptops, two printers, and three LED TVs from the Phase VI shooting range. The suspect, identified as Yuvraj Singh, is a resident of Chahal village in Patiala district.
How the shooting range theft was uncovered
The theft came to light after District Sports Officer Umeshwari Sharma filed a complaint. Following that, a case was registered at the Phase I police station. According to police, the suspect had been stealing laptops belonging to shooters and other equipment from the range over a period of time — meaning this was not a one-time incident.
Police said the suspect was identified and arrested with the help of CCTV footage. The arrest led to his production before a court, where he was remanded in three-day police custody.
Police statement on the arrest
DSP (City-1) Gurcharan Singh confirmed the details of the arrest. He said, "The suspect was identified and arrested with the help of CCTV footage. He was produced before a court and remanded in three-day police custody."
"The suspect was identified and arrested with the help of CCTV footage. He was produced before a court and remanded in three-day police custody." — DSP (City-1) Gurcharan Singh
What this means for facility security
This case raises questions about how a security guard — someone trusted to protect a facility — could allegedly steal from it over time. The fact that the thefts reportedly happened repeatedly suggests gaps in oversight at the shooting range. Regular inventory checks and better monitoring could have caught this sooner.
The use of CCTV footage to solve the case shows how important surveillance systems are for public facilities. Without that footage, identifying the suspect may have taken much longer.
Our Take: Trust betrayed at the shooting range
To put it plainly, this is a case of trust betrayed. A security guard is supposed to be the first line of defense for any facility. When the person responsible for protection becomes the thief, it exposes a serious weakness in how these facilities are managed.
In our view, this incident should serve as a warning to other sports facilities and public institutions. Background checks, surprise audits, and stronger supervision of security staff are not optional — they are necessary. The fact that the thefts happened over a period of time means nobody noticed for a while. That is a management failure, not just a crime.
The police deserve credit for acting quickly once the complaint was filed. But the bigger lesson here is prevention. Facilities must not rely solely on the honesty of their staff — they need systems in place to catch problems early.
For the shooters who lost their laptops, this is a personal loss. Their equipment may contain training data, personal files, and valuable work. The case is now in the hands of the court, and the suspect remains in police custody for further questioning.
