Pune Police Arrest 9-Member Interstate Gang for Stealing BSNL Copper Cables from Drainage Lines; Rs 80.70 Lakh Seized
Pune: The Wanowrie Police have arrested an interstate gang involved in stealing BSNL copper cables laid inside drainage pipelines and seized stolen property worth Rs 80.70 lakh.
The action was carried out during a combing operation conducted between 11 pm on May 8 and 3 am on May 9, 2026. A police team from Wanowrie Police Station, led by Police Sub-Inspector Alfaz Shaikh, was checking record offenders in the jurisdiction when police personnel Arshad Sayyed and Gopal Madane received a tip-off from an informer.
According to the information, a group of men was suspiciously removing drainage pipeline covers near Honeywell Company, opposite Ashray Tea Hotel in Hadapsar Industrial Area, Pune, and pulling out copper cable wires using a crane. The accused were allegedly cutting the cables into pieces and loading them into an Eicher truck.
PSI Alfaz Shaikh immediately informed senior officers, following which a police team rushed to the spot and conducted a raid. During the operation, the suspects were caught red-handed while extracting copper cables from the drainage line.
The arrested accused have been identified as:
- Aslam Sagir Khan (39), Tilak Nagar, West Delhi
- Arif Bundukhan Khan (40), Uttar Pradesh
- Shoaib Haroon Khan (25), Uttar Pradesh
- Salman Idris Malik (33), Delhi
- Naresh Kumar Shrivcharan (43), Haryana
- Navi Mohammad Shan Mohammad (35), Uttar Pradesh
- Anis Ansari Mohammad Giasuddin (22), Hadapsar, Pune
- Afaq Ansari Rafiq Ansari (22), Hadapsar, Pune
- Pravin Dadasaheb Bagul (33), SRA Colony, Shinde Vasti, Hadapsar, Pune
A case has been registered against the accused at Wanowrie Police Station under Crime Register No. 208/2026 under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is being carried out by PSI Alfaz Shaikh.
Police seized copper wire worth Rs 34.80 lakh from the accused, along with the crane used in the theft, an Eicher truck, and a moped, taking the total seizure value to Rs 80.70 lakh.
The operation was conducted under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police (East Regional Division) Manoj Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 5) Rajlaxmi Shivankar, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Wanowrie Division) Namrata Desai, Senior Police Inspector Bhausaheb Patil, and Police Inspector (Crime) Sangita Jadhav, with support from the Wanowrie Police investigation team and Hadapsar Police staff.
