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."
During interrogation, the arrested men confessed to operating in 14 metro locations in Delhi, 12 in Pune, 6 in Panvel (Navi Mumbai), and several more in Bhopal and Indore. Their method was chillingly systematic: they would travel to cities with active metro lines, rent hotel rooms near stations, book vehicles via JustDial, and secure safehouses through local brokers. Once the logistics were set, the gang would identify metro bridge pillars near trees or walls, climb using ropes, and cut the heavy-duty cables with industrial cutters.
They then stripped the plastic or rubber coating, extracted the copper wiring, packed it, and sent it via train from Ahmedabad's Kalupur station to Delhi. There, the metal was sold through a network of illegal dealers. Notably, Raja Qureshi, who did not physically participate in the Ahmedabad theft, acted as a receiver, arranging transport and resale of stolen goods while funding other gang operations.
The police have registered the case under Sections 35(1)(e) and 106(1) of Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita, and further investigation is underway to trace the absconding members and dismantle the broader syndicate.
With these arrests, police believe they have delivered a significant blow to one of India's most organised metro cable theft rings.