Gandhinagar – In a significant breakthrough, the Gandhinagar Local Crime Branch (LCB) has dismantled a major operation of the notorious ‘Khekda Gang’ from Delhi, arresting four of its members. The gang is implicated in a staggering 35 cases of metro cable theft across India, including in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Maharashtra (Pune, Panvel, Navi Mumbai), and Delhi, with reported crimes also in Bhopal and Indore.

The arrests shed light on the gang’s sophisticated modus operandi: members would scale trees along metro routes or use adjacent structures to access metro lines, then use cutters to steal valuable cables. The stolen goods were then concealed in rented properties where the copper wires were meticulously separated, packed, and subsequently transported by train to Delhi for sale.

The crackdown comes on the heels of a recent, high-value cable theft incident near the old Koba Metro station in Gandhinagar district. On June 2, 2025, between 2 and 3 AM, during an IPL match, unknown perpetrators cut and stole 700 meters of cable, valued at ₹17,85,000, near Koba Circle.

Following the incident, Superintendent of Police Raviteja Vasamsetty swiftly mobilized the LCB, instructing Po.Ins. LCB-1 D.B. Wala and Po.Ins. LCB-2 H.P. Parmar to take immediate action. Four dedicated teams were formed, and an extensive review of CCTV footage and technical analysis led to the identification of two suspicious vehicles and their owners.

Further investigation, leveraging technical surveillance and private informants, revealed that the accused had rented a house in Kalol to stash the stolen cables. Acting on this intelligence, police raided the Kalol residence and apprehended four individuals: Musharraf Irshad Mulejat, Rashid Ishaq Ismail Dhobi, Rashid Abdul Aziz Shabbir Ansari, and Irshad Majid Allamehar Malik.

At the time of the arrests, the accused were in the process of stripping the stolen cables. Police seized 368.790 kg of copper wire, valued at ₹2,95,032 (₹800 per kg), and 130.210 kg of plastic casing, valued at ₹1,302 (₹10 per kg), bringing the total recovered metro cable value to ₹2,96,334. Other seized items included a Kia Carens car and mobile phones. The arrested individuals confessed to the Koba metro station theft and have been charged under Sections 35(1)(e) and 106(1) of the Indian Civil Security Code 2023.

Subsequent interrogation revealed that a total of 15 individuals were involved in the metro cable theft at Koba. The gang’s involvement in other significant incidents also came to light, including a metro cable theft on May 22, 2025, near Shahpur metro station in Ahmedabad. Furthermore, Masoom Yasin Malik, another gang member, confessed to a similar theft in October 2024 from Jivraj Park metro station in Ahmedabad, and admitted to having previously reconnoitered the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar metro route.

The accused confessed to an extensive crime spree beyond Gujarat, including 14 metro cable thefts in Delhi, 12 in Pune-Maharashtra, and 6 in Panvel, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, in addition to incidents in Bhopal and Indore. Investigations revealed that Raja Qureshi, though not present at the Ahmedabad crime scene, acted as a receiver, transporting stolen goods from Ahmedabad Kalupur railway station to Delhi for sale. He, along with other gang members, also provided financial assistance when needed for their illicit activities.

The gang’s strategy involved traveling to cities with metro networks, staying in hotels near railway stations, and renting large four-wheel drive vehicles through online platforms like Just Dial for self-driving. Upon securing a vehicle, they would contact a local broker to rent a house to store the stolen goods before executing their thefts.

The impact of these thefts is significant. Just 15 days ago, the theft of approximately 500 meters of copper cable led to a 7-hour shutdown of the metro between Vastral and Thaltej in Ahmedabad, disrupting around 15,000 commuters. Approximately 20 cables, each 25 meters long and valued at about ₹9 lakhs, were stolen from near the Shahpur ramp.

Police are actively coordinating with law enforcement and metro authorities in various states to obtain crime register numbers for all confessed incidents, anticipating the resolution of numerous metro cable theft cases nationwide. The Delhi Police has already provided a list of 80 additional crimes, suggesting that the total number of solved cases could exceed 100 as the investigation progresses.

The Gandhinagar LCB continues its technical and human resource-based investigation to uncover further crimes and apprehend the remaining 11 absconding members of the ‘Khekda Gang.’

Arrested Accused:

1. Musharraf Irshad Mulejat
2. Rashid Ishaq Ismail Dhobi
3. Rashid Abdul Aziz Shabbir Ansari
4. Irshad Majid Allamehar Malik

Wanted and Involved Accused:

1. Shahzad Amruddin Malik
2. Amir Akbar Malik
3. Arif Babu Malik
4. Iqlaq Iqbal Malik
5. Imran Malik
6. Arif Rafiq
7. Sonu Babu Kasar
8. Arshad Asghar Malik
9. Bilal Qureshi
10. Raja Qureshi
11. Masoom Yasin Malik