India
Kerala police arrest 11 in Meerut copper cable theft plot
The Indian Express··4d ago
Kannur Police Commissioner B V Vijaya Bharath Reddy said five gang members were arrested after flying from Delhi on September 19, with bikes sent by train on September 9. Thrissur police caught four men near a BSNL terminal on September 20. Police said the Meerut group stole copper cables worth Rs 12,000 from abandoned BSNL lines.
Prism
What It Means For You
- BSNL is recovering and auctioning surplus copper after moving networks to optical fibre, leaving abandoned cable a scrap target.
- Police invoked robbery charges plus provisions of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and the Telecommunications Act.
- Locals alerted police after men in construction helmets filled bags with cable near a Thrissur terminal box.
What's Happening
- The commissioner said a patrol spotted the Kannur group on Sunday night and found cable cutters concealed on their bodies.
- Thrissur police said six members flew to Kochi on September 19, with four moving on to Thrissur.
- Officers said the plan was to steal cables, dispose of them in Kerala and fly back to Uttar Pradesh while staying at hotels.
Why copper lines draw thieves
- The gang allegedly dispatched two-wheelers to Kerala by rail before flying in from Delhi.
- Police registered a robbery case and said the Thrissur FIR recorded Rs 12,000 worth of removed cable.
- An officer in Kochi said questioning showed targets included buildings and BSNL terminal boxes for copper.
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