Mumbai Crime: 13 Arrested For Allegedly Stealing MTNL Underground Cables Worth ₹9 Lakh In Kandivali East

Mumbai, August 13, 2026: The Samta Nagar Police have arrested 13 people allegedly involved in a gang stealing underground cables belonging to Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) in Kandivali East.

According to the police, 153 metres of four 2,000-pair underground MTNL cables, collectively valued at around Rs 9 lakh, were stolen from Ashok Nagar Cross Road No. 4, Kandivali East, before June 22, 2026.

FIR Registered Over Cable Theft

Following a complaint by Virendra Laltaprasad Yadav (52), manager of MTNL, Samta Nagar, the police registered an FIR under Sections 303(2), 324(5) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 42 of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984, against unidentified accused.

During the investigation, police identified and arrested 13 suspects. They have been identified as Swapnil Anil Shelar (35), Suresh Shivaji Shinde (38), Prathamesh Dattatray Malvankar (34), Sagar Naishil Kamble (32), Sahil Shakil Shah (20), Abdul Siddiq Ahmed Sheikh (38), Rizwan Mehtab Malik (24), Mohammad Afzal Hasan Khan (35), Suraj alias Sahil Dilawar Kalekar (33), Manojkumar Shahabdin Gupta (34), Mubarak Ali Nabijanali Shah (38), Azam Abdul Gaffar Khan (38), and Abdul Wahab Sadiq Mia Ansari (35).

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JCB Machine Seized

Police said they seized a JCB machine worth Rs 20 lakh, allegedly used while committing the crime, along with two mobile phones valued at Rs 80,000. The total value of the seized property is Rs 20.80 lakh.

The police are now searching for other persons allegedly involved in the cable-theft racket.

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