20 hours ago
Gujarat cops arrest four from 'Khekda gang' in connection with metro cable thefts
AHMEDABAD: In a high-stakes crackdown, Gujarat's Gandhinagar Local Crime Branch has dismantled the notorious 'Khekda Gang'—a professional cable theft syndicate behind sweeping metro heists across India. The gang operated with surgical precision across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh, looting high-value metro cables under the radar.
With 35 major thefts already traced to them, the gang had turned metro lines into a lucrative crime corridor. In a decisive strike, police have arrested four key operatives, while 11 gang members remain at large, triggering a nationwide manhunt.
According to official police records, the gang's latest strike occurred on the night of June 2, 2025, during an IPL match, when they stole 700 meters of cable worth Rs 17.85 lakh near the old Koba Metro station in Gandhinagar. Exploiting the deserted stretch near the Infocity Post Office area between 2 and 3 am, the thieves scaled trees and metro pillars to execute the high-voltage heist.
Speaking to the media in Gandhinagar, SP Ravi Teja Wasam Shett said: "Following the incident, police deployed technical surveillance and relied on informants to track the suspects to a rented house in Kalol, where the stolen cables were being processed. Acting swiftly, the Crime Branch raided the house and arrested Musharraf Irshad Mulejat, Rashid Ishaq Ismail Dhobi, Rashid Abdul Aziz Shabbir Ansari, and Irshad Majeed Allamehar Malik. Inside, they found cables stripped for copper, packed and ready for shipment to Delhi by train."
