Robbers disguised as repairers dig Dadar footpath, steal copper cables worth thousands of dollars

In a shocking incident from India’s Dadar, thieves brazenly stole expensive copper wires from utility cables laid under a footpath.

Local police have arrested five men for robbing copper wires worth ₹6 lakh- ₹7 lakh (up to $8,000) from cables laid under the footpath.

Copper costs ₹845 ($10) per kg.

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The incident, which took place on the Dadar-Matunga stretch of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road, was assumed to be road and pavement repair work but drew speculations from residents when the dug-up areas were not put back to normal in time.

After the 2-3-metre-wide footpath between Kings Circle and Dadar TT Circle, among the widest in the island city, was found haphazardly dug up in patches, residents brought it to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s notice which then began inspection into the matter.

An official from BMC said the civic body was bewildered by the enormous scale of work on the footpath when nothing was sanctioned either at the ward level or by the relevant departments.

State-run telecom company MTNL also lodged a complaint alleging that more than 400 of its telephone lines had tripped in the Dadar-Matunga area.

“We are still rectifying it. This has majorly happened around Dadar TT Circle, with 105 metres of copper wire worth lakhs of rupees being stolen,” said an MTNL official.

The police then laid a trap in the night at the spot where the robbers were expected to dig the footpath.

“Once they arrived along with the staff of the contractor, we intercepted them and arrested them.

"The five accused are scrap dealers and had planned to sell the copper wires,” said Deepak Chavan, senior police inspector of Matunga police station.

The police officials investigating the case said the robbers were digging a small portion of the footpath every day, and there are possibly more people involved in the crime.

“The five have other accomplices, as digging the entire stretch was not possible for just five people. We are tracing the others of their gang,” said a police officer from Matunga police station.

Apart from BMC, the agencies that dig up roads to install underground utility cables include MMRDA, Mahanagar Gas, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, Adani Electricity, Tata Power, and BEST.

(With inputs from agencies)