Delhi Metro’s services were disrupted on the morning of December 5 after a gang of thieves stole signalling cables.
A report by The Indian Express detailed the method that the gang employed to steal the cables and render the services ineffective. The gang first tried to locate a Delhi Metro pillar in an isolated and dark area each night for months. They wanted to steal copper wire from the tracks due to its high scrap value.
The thieves used an old-school method, with ropes and hooks, to climb the pillars and step onto the elevated track. They then cut the signalling cables. The track which they targeted lay on one of Delhi Metro’s busiest tracks, Blue Line.
On December 5, at around 5 am, the DMRC got an alert from the signalling department, informing them of an issue with the track circuits. On investigating the matter, the officials found that a 140-metre-long signaling cable was missing. A signalling cable helps in tracking the movement of the trains. This cable had been cut off between Moti Nagar and Kirti Nagar stations.
Now, five people – Rashid Malik (26), Shahrukh Malik (29), Ramzan (32), and Junaid aka Bhura (32), have been arrested, while seven others – Faisal, Masoom, Nadeem, Siddhu, Teli, Sarfaraj and Islam – are absconding.
Delhi Metro cable theft: Thieves’ MO
After the arrests, during the questioning, it was found that the gang would wait for Metro services to end before they commenced. ““Using ropes and hooks, Islam, Nadeem, Siddhu and Teli scaled the Metro pillars to reach the elevated tracks and cut the high-value copper cables which carry no electricity. Shahrukh and Ramzan would park the vehicle away from the scene to avoid suspicion,” Joint CP (Transport Range) Vijay Singh said.
According to the police, Rashid and Faisal transported the stolen cables to a godown in Mustafabad, where some were weighed and prepared for sale. The remaining cables were first moved to a rented godown in Brajpuri before being transported to another location for disposal, as revealed during the investigation.
DMRC’s Principal Executive Director Anuj Dayal has thanked the Delhi Police for their swift action. “This is a positive step in avoiding disruption of Metro services for the public and we hope will be a deterrent for others in the future,” he said.
