In an interestingly prompt and wise trap set by Mumbai police, copper wire thieves posing as BMC servants, even wearing fake BMC jackets were caught red handed in Matunga and immediately taken into custody. A group of six involved in the theft have been arrested. The thieves, very meticulously had hired daily-wage workers for Rs. 200 per day to get copper wires stolen from utility cables under a footpath near Kings Circle. They were trained, briefed and properly instructed ways to dodge inquiries and eventually confidently stage the drama of conducting a routine pre-monsoon preparation work. The arrest was made on June 10, Sunday.
The Police sprung into action after MTNL lodged a complaint when the thieves attempted take out copper wires from state-run telco MTNL’s cables. Before the extracted wires could be siphoned to Mumbra godown in a tempo, Mumbai police took the gang in custody. The Mumbra Godown belonged to one of the accused who has been arrested by Mumbai police.
6 thieves arrested
As per a report of Hindustan Times, "The thieves planned to melt the copper wires and sell it, said Matunga police sub-inspector Santosh Mali. The police recovered 184 kg of copper from the Mumbra godown. The price of copper is around ₹845 per kg."
Police confirmed that it was a group of six accused who have been arrested, and a case has been registered.
This is not the first time that Mumbai police has foiled such a meticulous plan of theft. In July 2023, The Western Railway Protection Force (RPF) had nabbed the mastermind behind the daring copper wire theft of five local trains parked in Virar Carshed. It was a breakthrough after nearly two years chase. Kuddus Ismail Sheikh, a Bangladesh resident, was finally arrested on July 21, 2023 from Mazgaon, Mumbai.
