Officers from Malad police station have nabbed five members of a gang allegedly involved in stealing Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) cables. Senior Police Inspector Dushyant Chauhan was on night patrol in the Charkop Government Industrial Estate area when he noticed a group of 20-25 people cutting MTNL cables and loading them into a tempo. On spotting the police, they attempted to flee.
Wire cutters seized by the police
Chauhan, along with his driver and operator, managed to catch five of the accused. Three cable-cutting machines, the tempo, a motorbike and a scooter, five cell phones, and stolen MTNL cables were seized, and the accused were handed over to the Charkop police. A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway.
According to the police, the incident occurred around 1.45 am on Sunday, when the police were heading towards Malwani police station via Charkop Road. Chauhan noticed 20-25 men standing on the footpath behind a tempo. Their suspicious movements prompted him to stop the patrol vehicle, which resulted in the suspects attempting to flee. Five men, attempting to flee on a motorcycle and a scooter, were apprehended.
The bike on which the accused tried to flee
“We informed the Charkop’s Police Inspector Suryavanshi on night duty, and their team reached the spot. Upon inspecting the tempo, we recovered 80-90 pieces of MTNL cables, each approximately 10 feet long, and three inches in diameter, along with three large cable cutters,” Senior PI Chauhan said.
The five people arrested have been identified as Tanveer Mukhsher Sheikh, 29; Adil Shapuddin Ansari, 39; Abrar Qadar Sheikh, 39; Ashwin Babu Suryavanshi, 43; and Jafar Munna Sheikh, 32 — all residents of Bhandup.
Items seized by police
5: Mobile phones
Vehicles: One tempo, one scooter, one motorcycle
