Five arrested for large scale copper cable theft in Delhi

Five people have been arrested for stealing underground copper cables in South Delhi’s CR Park and Sarita Vihar areas as contractors of a telecom company, a police official said on Thursday.

Sameer, Amit, Arif, Shakeel and Amzad were arrested while attempting to excavate copper wire, he said.

Police recovered around 1,400 kg of stolen copper wire, along with a truck and a JCB machine used in the crime. They said that all five were found involved in more than a dozen similar cases of theft across the city.

“The breakthrough came on the morning of July 28 when the police, during a routine patrol in the CR Park area, noticed unauthorised digging underway. While some of the suspects fled, Sameer and Amit were apprehended,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam said.

During initial questioning, they claimed to be working as contractors for a telecom company, but their responses raised suspicion.

Upon sustained interrogation, they confessed to being part of a gang involved in copper wire theft, the officer said.

A telecom official was called to verify the work and confirmed that no digging had been sanctioned in the area. A case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

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Further investigation led to the arrest of three more accused on August 2. These included Arif, a known receiver of stolen copper wire, and Shakeel and Amzad. Police said Arif and Shakeel were previously arrested in a similar case in Haryana’s Bhiwani district.

“During questioning, it emerged that the gang has been operating for nearly two years. They are based in Loni, Ghaziabad, and used heavy machinery such as trucks and JCBs to carry out thefts during early morning hours,” the officer said.

Efforts are underway to trace other absconding members of the crime syndicate.