Police bust cable theft racket in Sion, arrest 15 posing as MTNL workers

This is not the first time Mumbai has seen such audacious cable thefts. In April this year, HT reported how Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi’s complaint about her dead landline connection in Goregaon had led MTNL to uncover one of its biggest cable heists – 2,736 metres of copper wire, worth ₹12 lakh, stolen from ducts across eight locations

MUMBAI: It looked like routine repair work. A JCB machine at the site, men in reflective safety jackets digging up the road in the dead of night, even documents to show they were contractors for Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL). But the scene on Road Number 29 near Dalda Company in Sion was anything but official.

Mumbai, India. Aug 16, 2025: Mumbai Police arrested 15 people from Sion for the MTNL telephone cable theft case and seized a JCB. Mumbai, India. Aug 16, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Raju Shinde)

When residents tipped off the Sion police around 3 am, officers first assumed it was genuine roadwork scheduled at night to avoid traffic chaos. It was only when the labourers began tugging out thick copper cables that suspicions were raised. A team led by inspector Santosh Shewale intervened – and busted a racket that had almost pulled off another high-value copper heist.

The police arrested 15 men from the spot, but the alleged mastermind, Pratik Mohite, managed to slip away. Those caught were identified as Niraj Saraf, 30, Velu Kunder, 42, Dinesh Mokal, 39, Yash Ghorad, 25, Santosh Dalvi, 38, Akash Dhotre, 22, Aman Chaudhary, 21, Vikram Agarwal, 42, Sanjay Gaund, 29, Nitin Gajabhare, 30, Sachin Dasar, 24, Nikhil Bawiskar, 23, Mahesh Kumar, 26, and Miraj Mansuri, 32.

“They had organised everything – from heavy machinery to forged paperwork – to pass off as legitimate MTNL contractors. Even the workers believed they were on an official job,” said a police officer. The arrested accused have been remanded to police custody till August 17.

Copper: Mumbai’s underground gold

Copper, a critical component in MTNL’s ageing but sprawling fixed-line network, sells for nearly ₹850 per kg in the scrap market. For organised gangs, digging out kilometres of abandoned or active cables translates into windfall profits. Past thefts have involved cables worth anywhere between ₹6 lakh and ₹21 lakh.

This is not the first time Mumbai has seen such audacious cable thefts. In April this year, HT reported how Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi’s complaint about her dead landline connection in Goregaon had led MTNL to uncover one of its biggest cable heists – 2,736 metres of copper wire, worth ₹12 lakh, stolen from ducts across eight locations.

Eight months earlier, the Matunga police had arrested five scrap dealers who had employed daily wagers to impersonate civic workers, dig up footpaths and roads, and rip out cables.

The missing kingpins

While police have arrested foot soldiers and scrap dealers in several such cases, the masterminds have often remained elusive. In the latest Sion case, Mohite is suspected of running the operation and duping several of those now in custody into believing they were working on an authorised MTNL contract.

Investigators say a large black market racket thrives in Mumbai, operating with the collusion of scrap dealers and occasionally with the help of insiders. “Unless the kingpins and their networks are booked under stringent sections for running a criminal syndicate, these thefts will keep happening,” admitted a senior officer.

MTNL has recently reported thefts worth ₹21 lakh near Patkar College in Goregaon, as well as multiple incidents in Sion and Matunga. Police have booked the accused under sections 303 (theft), 324 (mischief) and 62 (attempt to commit offences) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.