Air Siliguri, which boasts of a 200 KW transmitter, the most powerful in eastern India, stopped transmitting last week after a gang of criminals stole network antenna, generator parts and costly copper components from the heavily guarded radio station in West Bengal province.

Estimating the value of stolen equipment at Rs10 million, police and AIR officials said that criminals could have disposed it off as junk for as little as Rs100,000. The theft — the first of its kind — was investigated by senior Jalpaiguri police officials following accusations by Air officials that State Armed Police (SAP) personnel deployed at the radio station were in league with criminals.