7 arrested for stealing RRTS infrastructure in Ghaziabad, selling it as scrap

Police officers said the suspects sold at least 6,000 to 7,000 kg of stolen copper wire to scrap dealers

Seven men were arrested in Ghaziabad on Thursday for stealing material and various items from several sites of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, said police officers aware of the matter, adding that the total value of the items stolen by the suspects will be determinedsoon because they are specialised equipment and materials used for the RRTS project.

The seven suspects at the police station in Ghaziabad on Thursday. Various cables, a copper cable roll, fish plates, wire cutters, ropes, an i10 car, and a mini truck were recovered from the suspects’ possession, said police officers. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The suspects, Saif Malik, Mohammad Javed, Mohammad Kaleem, Gulzar, Zulfiqar, Samir Malik, and Javed, were arrested in connection with seven cases registered at Link Road, Indirapuram and Muradnagar police stations.

“The seven suspects are part of an inter-state group. During questioning, Malik told us they took their mini-truck to unguarded RRTS stretches and stole cables and other valuable materials. They then sold them to scrap dealers to make quick money,” said Ajit Kumar Razak, assistant commissioner of police (crime).

Police officers said the suspects sold at least 6,000 to 7,000 kg of stolen copper wire to scrap dealers.

The RRTS project spans 82km across Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut. Approximately 70km of the project is on an elevated corridor.

Investigators said that the suspects used ropes that they threw to the elevated RRTS sites and then climbed up. The suspects turned off their cellphones while committing a theft to avoid being tracked by electronic surveillance, according to the police.

“It took them 20-30 minutes to commit a theft. They used to cut cables after climbing up, causing a short circuit on the section. They would sever the cables and load them into their mini-truck before fleeing. In most cases, they sold the stolen items the next day to Javed, who is a scrap dealer in Seelampur,” said Abdur Rehman Siddiqui, inspector (crime branch).

ACP Razak said, “We received theft complaints, and cases were registered in various police stations. The suspects were apprehended in Muradnagar while planning another round of thefts. During questioning, they said they also have cases in Delhi.”

Various cables, a copper cable roll, fish plates, wire cutters, ropes, an i10 car, and a mini truck were recovered from the suspects’ possession, said police officers.

According to the police, copper in cables is a much-sought after commodity by burglars because it fetches a higher price when sold to scrap dealers.

“The suspects melted the plastic portion of the wires and extracted copper,” said Abdur Rehman Siddiqui, inspector of the crime branch.

The RRTS project has been targeted by thieves for the past few months, and several first information reports have been filed in this connection at various police stations in Ghaziabd.

An FIR was registered on April 4 at Kotwali police station in which the complainant, an official from the RRTS contractor’s firm, alleged theft of a 600-metre electricity cable from a section of the RRTS project on the night of March 23.

Another FIR was registered on April 4, based on a complaint by the contractor who alleged theft of electricity wire (quantity/measurement not mentioned) and damage to the stretch from the Ghaziabad RRTS station to river Hindon Bridge on the night of December 14/15, 2022.

In another FIR, also registered on April 4, the complainant (contractor firm) alleged theft of 1,200 metres of cable from the RRTS site between Sahibabad and Ghaziabad on February 14.

In another FIR registered on March 22, the complainant said that 1,100 fish plates, used for laying tracks, were stolen from the site. The alleged theft was discovered during an inspection carried out on March 2 and March 7.