5 held for stealing Delhi Metro cables, disrupting services

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had lodged multiple reports regarding stolen copper cables, with the most recent thefts

Police arrested five men involved in a series of copper cable thefts from metro tracks across the city, which disrupted services and posed safety risks to commuters, officials said on Saturday. The thefts, which began in February 2024, have led to delays and temporary shutdowns, including a major disruption on the Red Line on Thursday, when a stolen signalling cable caused a six-hour delay.

A special police team was formed to investigate the thefts, analysing CCTV footage and tracking the suspects’ movements. (HT Archive)

Deputy commissioner of police (Metro) Hareshwar Swami said that the arrested individuals were identified as Mohammed Karimulla, 24; Mohammed Anas, 21; Mohammed Junaid, 25; Mohammed Alam alias Rabi Alam, 25; and Suraj Singh, 25. “The thieves had been using piles of debris to gain access to the metro tracks, cutting through barbed wire to steal valuable copper cables,” Swami added.

The thefts were reported at several metro stations, including Azadpur Metro, Nehru Place Metro, Shastri Park Metro, and Okhla Vihar Metro, police said. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had lodged multiple reports regarding stolen copper cables, with the most recent thefts occurring at Mool Chand and Lajpat Nagar stations in the first two weeks of February. Since June last year, 89 cases of cable theft have been reported, affecting key metro infrastructure, including signalling cables, traction cables, and electrical cables, they added.

Anuj Dayal, principal executive director, corporate communications at DMRC, said, “We expect active support of Delhi Police in investigating cable theft to ensure no inconvenience is caused to the commuters of Delhi”.

A special police team was formed to investigate the thefts, analysing CCTV footage and tracking the suspects’ movements. Acting on a tip-off, officers arrested Karimulla, Anas, and Junaid in Sharam Vihar and JJ Colony of Kalindi Kunj, recovering 22 meters of stolen copper cable. Further interrogation revealed that Alam and Singh were the masterminds and had fled to West Bengal. “A team was dispatched to Kolkata, where, with the help of local police, both suspects were arrested,” Swami added. Six more meters of stolen cable and ₹5,000 in cash were recovered from them. The arrested suspects have been sent to judicial custody, police added.

On Thursday, metro services on the Red Line (Rithala to Shaheed Sthal) were severely impacted after a signalling cable was stolen from the stretch between Seelampur and Welcome Metro stations. Trains operated at restricted speeds, causing significant delays, until the cables were temporarily replaced at around 12.21pm.

Police said that the arrested individuals were involved in multiple other theft cases across the Delhi Metro network and that investigations are ongoing to uncover additional leads.