Eight held for attempting MTNL cable theft worth ₹58 lakh in Jogeshwari

Acting on a tip-off during routine patrolling, police intercepted the suspects at around 3.30am near Farook School. They found the men removing live cables from a drainage duct. Suspicious activity was noticed after officers saw two trucks loaded with cable wires, a crane, and an Innova car parked nearby

MUMBAI: The Amboli police arrested eight men for allegedly trying to steal expensive Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) cables worth ₹58 lakh by impersonating employees and contractors of the central government’s telecom unit.

Eight held for attempting MTNL cable theft worth ₹58 lakh in Jogeshwari

The accused, aged between 20 and 40, were caught red-handed in a joint operation by the police and MTNL officials while attempting to steal 1,110 metres of copper cable from Jogeshwari West in the early hours on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off during routine patrolling, police intercepted the suspects at around 3.30am near Farook School. They found the men removing live cables from a drainage duct. Suspicious activity was noticed after officers saw two trucks loaded with cable wires, a crane, and an Innova car parked nearby. Upon further inspection, a drainage lid was found open, and several men were spotted extracting cables.

“When questioned, the accused claimed they were conducting repair work as MTNL contractors,” said a senior police officer. However, verification by the MTNL team confirmed otherwise.

This incident is the latest in a series of high-profile MTNL cable thefts across Mumbai. In a similar case on August 15, the Goregaon police filed a case after MTNL reported the theft of underground copper cables worth ₹21.60 lakh near Nana Nani Park. Two days later, the Sion police arrested 14 men and seized heavy machinery and tools used for the theft.

Earlier in April, following a complaint by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi about her landline being inactive, MTNL discovered cable theft at eight locations across Goregaon, amounting to 2,736 metres of copper cables valued at ₹12 lakh.

Police suspect a well-organised racket involving scrap dealers and middlemen who manipulate daily-wage labourers into believing they are engaged in official work. Investigators warn that without targeting the kingpins behind these operations, such thefts will continue to plague the city’s telecom infrastructure.

The eight accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and remanded in police custody.