For stealing underground copper wire, gang digs up footpath in Mumbai; six held
Mumbai, Jun 11: Digging up roads for infrastructure projects and pre-monsoon works is a common feature in Mumbai and residents of Dadar and neighbouring areas thought the same when they noticed some people carrying out excavation work.
However, it emerged later that a group of five men were not working for the civic body or any other agency, but they were a gang of thieves involved in stealing the copper wire from utility cables.
Police have arrested six men in connection with the theft of copper wires, valued at Rs 6 lakh to 7 lakh, officials said on Tuesday.
The incident came to light last week, when Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) officers approached Matunga police station.
According to police, the footpath along the Dadar-Matunga Road in central Mumbai was dug up to carry out the theft.
Following the complaint, a case was registered against unknown individuals. As part of the investigation, police reviewed CCTV footage from the area and identified a group of thieves involved in the act.
Concurrently, another police team traced the purchaser of the stolen copper wire and detained Niku Chunnilal Gupta, a scrap dealer.
As per the investigations, the accused burned the cable to strip off its coatings and then melted the copper for resale. During interrogation, Gupta disclosed the involvement of Manish Jain, who, along with four others, executed the theft by digging up the footpath, a police official said.
Subsequently, Mumbai Police arrested four individuals residing in the western suburbs and Thane area.
As excavation work by the civic body or other agencies is a common occurrence in the city, the theft didn't come to light initially, the official added.
MTNL officials filed the complaint after noticing hundreds of telephone lines in the Dadar-Matunga area were non-functional, and over a hundred meters of copper wire had been stolen.
The stolen copper wire, valued at Rs 6 to 7 lakh, was recovered from the suspects.
With these arrests, police have busted a gang responsible for digging up roads and footpaths to steal utility cables, the official said.
Further investigations are underway.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Allen, Raghuvanshi, Green power KKR to 29-run win over GT
Kolkata (PTI): Finn Allen blasted a 35-ball 93, while Angkrish Raghuvanshi hit an unbeaten 44-ball 82 as Kolkata Knight Riders kept their playoff hopes alive with a 29-run win over Gujarat Titans in the IPL match here on Saturday.
Sent in to bat, Allen went on a six-hitting spree, smashing 10 maximums and four boundaries to add 95 off 41 balls with Raghuvanshi (82).
Raghuvanshi then shared another 108 off 53 balls with Cameron Green (52 not out) to power KKR to a challenging 247 for 2.
In reply, GT could manage 218-4, riding on skipper Shubman Gill's 49-ball 85 and a 35-ball 57 from Jos Buttler. Opener Sai Sudarsan was retired hurt but returned to make a 28-ball 53 not out.
Sunil Narine (2/29) claimed two wickets and Saurabh Dubey snapped one for KKR.
For GT, Mohammed Siraj (1/50), Sai Kishore (1/38) were the wicket-takers.
Brief Score:
KKR: 247 for 2 in 20 overs (Finn Allen 93, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 82 not out, Camero Green 52 not out; Mohammed Siraj 1/50).
GT: 218 for 4 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 85, Sunil Narine 2/29).
