MTNL clerk arrested for helping gang steal underground copper cables in Borivali

The Mumbai police's crime branch has arrested a 54-year-old Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Limited (MTNL) employee for allegedly assisting an organised gang in stealing underground copper cables worth crores of rupees. The accused, Vinod Fundan Yadav, worked as a clerk-cum-supervisor at the MTNL office in Kandivali, and allegedly provided the gang with precise locations of the cables.

The investigation unfolded after the police arrested four gang members on June 30. The suspects were caught posing as labourers and digging along Vasant Marvel Road near the Magathane Telephone Exchange in Borivali to steal the underground cables. The arrested individuals were identified as Saheel Shakil Sah, Abdul Siddique Ahmed Shaikh, Rizwan Malik, and Mohammad Afzal Hasan Khan.

During the June 30 operation, the police seized approximately 985 metres of underground MTNL copper cables valued at ₹39 lakh. They also recovered machinery, tools, and vehicles worth ₹1 crore used to dig the roads and transport the stolen materials.

Following their arrest, a case was registered at the Kasturba Marg police station under sections 303 (theft) and 324 (mischief causing loss to public property) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, alongside section 42 (fraudulent procurement of telecom identifiers) of the Telecommunications Act.

During interrogation, Shaikh, identified as the main accused, revealed the involvement of Yadav and another accomplice, Manoj Gupta. Both Yadav and Gupta were subsequently arrested by the police.

According to the police, Yadav played a critical role in the operation by informing the gang which underground cables were active and which were defunct. He pointed out the exact spots where the gang could dig using heavy machinery like JCBs and dumpers to extract the copper.

Navnath Dhavale, deputy commissioner of police (detection) at the crime branch, stated that Yadav showed the gang the precise spots from where the copper cables could be stolen. The police are continuing their investigation and are likely to question more MTNL employees in connection with the multi-crore racket.