In a major theft on the Ahmedabad Metro line, unidentified people stole 700 metres of copper power cable worth INR 17.85 lakh from the section between Koba Circle and Old Koba Metro stations. This is the second such incident in just 10 days, raising serious concerns about metro safety.
The incident happened early Monday morning. Around 3 AM, Amar Patel, the Traction Power Controller, noticed a complete power failure and informed Section Engineer Mayur Joshi. After checking, the team found that 28 copper cables, each 25 metres long, were missing from three curved parts of the elevated track. These cables were part of the third rail system that powers metro trains.
As per the FIR filed at Infocity Police Station, the thieves climbed the elevated metro track and used sharp tools to cut the cables. Metro officials said the theft wasn’t noticed immediately because even one working cable can keep the train running. The last metro finally stopped due to complete power failure near Koba Circle Station.
Police believe the theft was planned by people who know about the metro power system. The Koba Circle station is newly developed and doesn’t have CCTV surveillance as it’s not a designated stop. Metro services were disrupted from 3 AM to 6:30 PM. Partial service was restored by afternoon, but full recovery may take a few more days.
Similar Theft 10 Days Ago
A similar theft took place 10 days ago at Shahpur Station, where 500 metres of cable worth INR 9 lakh was stolen. That case also caused major disruption for nearly five hours, but police are yet to get solid leads.
