5 held for stealing copper cables from Metro tracks
The Delhi Police have arrested five professional thieves accused of being involved in at least seven incidents of copper cable theft from metro tracks, an official confirmed on Friday.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Md Karimulla (24), Md Anas (21), Md Junaid (25), Md Alam (25) and Suraj Singh (25), all residents of Shaheen Bagh and Sarita Vihar. They are allegedly connected to thefts across multiple metro police stations, including Azadpur, Nehru Place, Shastri Park and Okhla Vihar.
“The case came to light after the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) reported thefts of copper cables on February 3 and 6 near metro tracks under the jurisdiction of Azadpur Metro Police Station,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Metro, Hareshwar V Swami.
Similar thefts were reported at Moolchand and Lajpat Nagar metro stations, prompting multiple cases to be registered, Swami added. A special team was formed to investigate and apprehend the culprits.
Acting on a tip-off, police conducted raids in Kalindi Kunj and Shaheen Bagh, resulting in the arrest of three suspects—Karimulla, Anas and Junaid. During interrogation, the two masterminds, Alam and Suraj, were identified, who had fled to West Bengal. A special team, in collaboration with Kolkata Police, apprehended both individuals.
“The accused reportedly used debris to climb metro tracks and cut through barbed wires to steal copper cables,” said the DCP.
The investigation revealed that the suspects were drug addicts with a history of similar crimes. Junaid was involved in four previous theft cases, while Alam and Suraj had prior arrests for cable theft.
The Delhi police recovered 28 meters of stolen copper cable and Rs 5,000 in cash from various locations. Investigations are ongoing to determine if the group is involved in additional crimes, the DCP confirmed.
