The accused allegedly stole live copper cables from the Worli stretch and sold them to a scrap dealer, who police are now trying to trace.
MUMBAI: A night-time theft that left several Coastal Road streetlights near NSCI without power has been solved with the arrest of five people, including a minor, Tardeo police said.
An electrical engineer accompanying the patrol team checked the streetlights and found that power supply cables had been removed from several poles. Assistant Commissioner of Police Mahesh Mugutrao supervised the investigation. A team headed by assistant police inspector Dilip Tambe examined CCTV footage from the area and found that the suspects had previous criminal records. Efforts are underway to identify and trace the dealer and recover the cable.
The arrested accused have been identified as Hussain Kadir Shaikh alias Choko, 39, from Mahatma Phule Nagar slums in Worli, Nur Mohammad Amir Khan, 19, Aman Bilal Shaikh, 22, from Markandeshwar Nagar in Worli, and Jakir Shaikh, 19, from Kalyan. The firm’s project manager, Tuffankumar Panda, 36, subsequently lodged a complaint with Tardeo police.
The accused are fishermen from Worli who sleep on the jetty and allegedly stole the cables at night, according to police. Police said the accused had sold the stolen copper cable to a scrap dealer.
The minor was taken into custody and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board. Police then used information from their earlier cases, including mobile phone details, to trace them.
