Gandhinagar LCB busts Khekda gang, unravels 35 metro cable thefts across India

In a significant breakthrough, the Local Crime Branch (LCB) of Gandhinagar Police has dismantled a notorious inter-state gang involved in a spate of high-value metro cable thefts across the country. Dubbed the Khekda Gang, the group is believed to be responsible for at least 35 thefts across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, and other states.

The officials initiated a high-priority investigation into a theft that occurred during the night of June 2, when 700 metres of metro cable worth ₹17.85 lakh was stolen from the vicinity of the old Koba Metro Station near Infocity Post Office.

Through the Netram CCTV surveillance project, two suspicious vehicles were traced, eventually leading the police to a rented house in Kalol, where four accused were caught red-handed, while dismantling and processing the stolen cable.

The police recovered 368.79 kg of copper wire worth approximately ₹2.95 lakh, along with plastic insulation weighing 130.21 kg, a Kia Carens car, four mobile phones, and various tools. In total, stolen property worth over ₹8.32 lakh was seized.

Four accused were arrested, and nine are wanted in Gandhinagar-Ahmedabad thefts. The four arrested individuals have been identified as. Irshad Mulejat (32) of Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, Rashid Ishaq Dhobi (21), Khekda, Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, Rashid Abdul Ansari (45), Khekdagam, Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh and Irshad Majeed Malik (33), Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh

Further interrogation and technical analysis revealed the involvement of 13 individuals in the Gandhinagar metro cable theft. They confessed to another theft committed on May 22 near Shahpur Metro Station in Ahmedabad, and a prior incident in October 2024 at Gyaspur Metro Station, Vejalpur.

The police have also issued lookout notices for nine wanted accused, including Shahzad Amruddin Malik, Amir Akbar Malik, Arif Babu Malik, Iqlaq Iqbal Malik, Imran Malik, Arif Rafiq Malik, Sonu Babu Kasar, Arshad Asgar Malik, Bilal Qureshi and Raja Qureshi (receiver of stolen goods)

Nationwide network of cable thefts unearthed

The investigation has uncovered a vast network of metro cable thefts orchestrated by the gang across multiple states. The accused have confessed to:

14 thefts in Delhi (eg, Majlis Park, INA, Adarsh Nagar, Shastri Park)

12 in Pune (Yerawada, Khadki, Pipri, Kasarwadi, etc.)

6 in Panvel and Navi Mumbai

Multiple thefts in Bhopal and Indore

Modus operandi

According to the police, the accused would stay near metro routes in rented accommodations obtained through local brokers or online platforms like Just Dial. Using rented four-wheelers, they would conduct a recce of metro lines, particularly targeting areas where trees or walls allowed them to climb metro pillars. They then used large cutters to sever high-voltage cables.

After the theft, they transported the stolen cables to hideouts, stripped off the plastic insulation, packed the copper wire in parcels, and sent them via train to Delhi, where they were sold. Some gang members acted as financiers and receivers, such as Raja Qureshi, who coordinated logistics and disposal of the stolen property.

Crimes registered across states

So far, at least 35 FIRs have been linked to the gang:

Gujarat: 3 (Infocity, Shahpur, Vejalpur)

Maharashtra: 12 (Pune, Navi Mumbai)

Delhi: 14

Madhya Pradesh: multiple in Bhopal and Indore

The police are in the process of coordinating with metro authorities and police forces across the country to match the gang’s confessions with unsolved cases.

The gang’s sophisticated operation included:

• Use of rental cars for mobility
• Climbing metro pillars using ropes or wall supports
• Cutting cables using industrial-grade tools
• Renting safe houses to store and process stolen cables
• Parcelling and selling copper wire via rail networks to Delhi

Items recovered

368.79 kg of copper wire (from 8 parcels), 130.21 kg of plastic insulation, Cable cutters, blades, nylon ropes, 4 mobile phones and 1 Kia Carens vehicle

Probe underway

According to Gandhinagar SP Raviteja Wasamsetty, the arrests have potentially solved a nationwide racket of metro cable thefts. “With over 35 confirmed cases and more likely to be linked, this is a breakthrough. We are in touch with metro authorities in multiple states and hope to connect more unsolved cases to this gang,” he said.

Further arrests and recoveries are expected as the investigation continues.