Four held for stealing cables along Metro's Magenta Line

New Delhi: Four persons were arrested from south east Delhi on Monday for their involvement in theft of cables from the Magenta Line of Delhi Metro, with Delhi Metro Police claiming that two of the accused had worked as laborers at Kalindi Kunj Metro depot.

Police said the accused were identified as Dilshad (22), Ali Hasan (23), Imran (27) and Saddam (24).

During its investigation, Delhi Metro Police found that many incidents of cable thefts were reported in recent months, because of which DMRC has been facing difficulties in running operations on Magenta Line.

They found out that the accused were operating along the Delhi Metro line-8 (Magenta Line) in the past month, with Dilshad and Ali Hasan working as labourers at a project company of Delhi Metro Ral Corporation (DMRC) during construction of Kalindi Kunj Depot.

On March 7, DMRC official Praveen Gupta registered five cases of cable theft, which occurred between January 23 and March 5.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Metro) Pankaj Singh said on Wednesday that Dilshad and Ali Hassan, the masterminds, were aware of all the entry-exit points in the depot.

"After completion of the project and the revenue operation of Magenta line started, both knew well about the laying of cable and how to steal cables from the track," said the DCP, adding that they used to bring testers to check if current was running in the cables.

Police added that the two engaged some local persons of Shram Vihar Jhuggi in the theft.

After cutting the cable from the track, they would hide it either in the big drain beneath the tracks or in the forest adjacent to the tracks.

Thereafter, they would cut the long cables into pieces and, with the help of Saddam, deliver the stolen cables to receiver Imran.