Malad Police have busted a gang involved in stealing MTNL cables and arrested five accused after a dramatic filmy-style chase. The arrested accused have been identified as Tanveer Sheikh, Aditya Ansari, Abrar Sheikh, Ashwin Suryavanshi and Jafar Munna Sheikh. Police have seized a tempo, a motorcycle and a cable cutter from their possession. The accused were produced before the court after their arrest.
Incidents of MTNL cable theft have been on the rise in the city over the past few days. On Saturday night, Senior Police Inspector Dushyant Chavan of Malad Police Station was on night patrol duty. At around 1:45 am, while heading from Charcop Road in Kandivli towards Malvani Police Station, he noticed 20 to 25 persons stealing MTNL cables near the Capsule Company area.
On spotting the police vehicle, the suspects attempted to flee. Police personnel immediately chased them and managed to nab five accused. A tempo parked at a short distance was found loaded with 90 pieces of MTNL cable, each measuring 10 feet in length and 3 inches in diameter.
Initially, the accused claimed to be MTNL employees in an attempt to mislead the police. However, during sustained interrogation, they confessed to stealing the cables. The five accused were later handed over to Charkop Police for further investigation.