The Gandhinagar Local Crime Branch has achieved a breakthrough, as the prime accused of the infamous ‘Khekda Gang’ have been nabbed. The inter-state gang has been involved in the metro cable thefts that have been taking place in different states of the country.
Recently on June 2, a metro cable theft had taken place near the Coba Metro Station during the IPL match. The gang members had committed a theft of cable of 700 meters, costing Rs 17.85 lakh. Following the incident, four teams of LCB-1 and LCB-2 initiated investigations. Based on CCTV footages and technical surveillance, the teams identified suspicious vehicles and nabbed the accused. The accused had hidden the stolen cable in a rented house at Kalol.
From the rented house, police have seized items worth Rs 8.32 lakh, which include 368.7 kg of copper wire of Rs 2.95 lakh, plastic cover of Rs 1,302, a Kia Carens car, and a mobile phone. Interrogation of the accused revealed that the team consisted of 13 people, who committed the thefts. The accused also admitted of stealing at metro stations including Shahpur, and Gyaspur among others, in the past.
Till now, the gang has committed more than 35 metro cable thefts in various cities of the country, including Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Delhi, Pune, Panvel, Bhopal, and Indore. The accused admitted to committing cable thefts in different places of Delhi, Pune, and Panvel as well.
Apparently, the accused visited different cities, stayed in hotels, rented a house and car, and cut cables near the metro lines. After which, they separated the copper wire from the cable, packed it, and sent it to Delhi through train.
The four accused have been identified as Musharraf Mulejat, Rashid Dhobi, Rashid Ansari, and Irshad Malik. All of them hail from Uttar Pradesh. The police have arrested the accused, and have also contacted the Metro management and the police of other states.