Mumbai: A major theft of MTNL infrastructure has come to light in South Mumbai, where unidentified thieves allegedly stole around 300 metres of copper jelly-filled telephone cable, containing 2,000 pairs, from an underground duct chamber on N.S. Road near Churchgate. The stolen cable is estimated to be worth Rs11.50 lakh.
MTNL Cable Theft Discovered After Subscribers Report Telephone Disruptions
The theft came to light after several MTNL subscribers complained about their telephone connections not functioning. Following the complaints, the technical team of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) conducted an inspection and discovered that the cable connecting two underground duct chambers had been stolen.
According to the FIR, the complainant, Satish Murlidhar Pawar, 55, is employed as a Deputy Manager with MTNL at the Colaba Telephone Exchange on M.K. Road, Mumbai.
300 Metres Of Copper Cable Stolen Between Two Underground Chambers
Pawar informed the police that MTNL had installed copper jelly-filled cables in underground ducts across the city nearly 25 years ago. On November 6, complaints were received at his office from subscribers regarding non-functional telephone connections.
During a technical inspection, MTNL officials discovered that an unidentified person had stolen approximately 300 metres of copper cable from the underground duct chamber located in front of Kapoor Mahal building on N.S. Road to another duct chamber opposite Chateau Marine building.
Further investigation revealed that the internet login services in the affected area had also stopped functioning since October 21. Based on the findings, Pawar lodged a complaint at Marine Drive police station, stating that the theft had taken place sometime between October 21 and November 6.
The Marine Drive police have registered a case against unidentified persons under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 42(5) of the Telecommunications Act.
Police are currently investigating the case and examining CCTV footage from cameras installed in and around the crime scene, along with other technical evidence, to identify and trace the culprits.
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