Ahmedabad: Metro rail services on the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar route faced significant disruption early in the morning after thieves stole 700 meters of expensive copper power cables near Koba Circle metro station, leading to an estimated loss of Rs 17.85 lakh and stranding around 200 passengers.

The theft was detected at approximately 3:00 AM when the traction power controller noticed a fault in the power supply. An immediate investigation by section engineers revealed that a total of 28 copper cables, each about 25 meters long, had been cut at three different locations between Koba Circle and the old Koba metro station. These stolen cables included crucial power lines for both the up-line and down-line tracks.

Smugglers Scale Viaduct Bridge

According to an FIR filed by Joshi at InfoCity Police Station, the thieves climbed the elevated bridge and used sharp tools to sever the cables from their brackets. Metro officials noted that since even one functioning cable can keep trains running, services appeared normal until the last metro halted due to the complete power loss near Koba Circle Station.

Passengers Stranded After IPL Match

Infocity Police Inspector V.R. Kher stated that the cable theft directly impacted metro operations from 3:00 AM. A significant number of the stranded passengers were reportedly returning to Gandhinagar after attending an IPL match. Following the report of the incident, five PCR vans were dispatched to the scene.

Metro sources confirmed that around 200 passengers were left stranded overnight due to the disruption. All affected individuals were subsequently transported to their destinations using SRP vans and police vehicles.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident, which has not only caused a considerable financial loss but also highlighted a serious security lapse in the metro’s infrastructure. This is the second such incident in recent times in Ahmedabad in which cable theft affected Metro service. A similar theft at Shahpur Metro Station in Ahmedabad, reported 10 days earlier, had disrupted East-West corridor services for nearly five hours. DeshGujarat