A telecoms worker in India was allegedly tied up by angry villagers when he arrived to fix a mobile phone tower, after residents grew furious over persistently poor 5G connectivity. The incident took place in Hardauli village, Fatehpur district, Uttar Pradesh, and highlights growing public frustration in parts of India over telecom firms failing to deliver on advertised network upgrades despite installing infrastructure locally.

The technician, named locally as Aditya Bhan Singh, was bound with cables to the tower by locals who said they had endured almost two years of unreliable 4G despite paying for 5G services. Villagers reportedly hoped the act would pressure senior company officials, who they felt had ignored repeated complaints, into finally addressing the issue, and threatened to keep him restrained until network representatives visited. He was released before police became involved, with the case only reported after footage of the incident and the poor signal was shared on social media. Five people have since been charged with unlawful confinement and disturbing public order.