Ever since the first Delhi Metro line came up in 2002, there has been a thriving black market for the copper cables that are installed on the Metro tracks.
The braided copper wires about half-an-inch thick, also called a signalling-bond or S-bond cable, is used at rail joints to ensure electrical continuity from one section of rail to the next.
High quality cable
Delhi Police officials said that the high quality of copper used in these cables have become a big hit among scrap dealers. “These gangs steal copper from the Metro tracks and sell it to scrap dealers. The dealers then either make alloys out of them or resell them to industries. The demand of these wires is high and the thieves get a high selling price,” a railway police official told The Hindu .
The wires can fetch anywhere between ₹70/kg and ₹100 per kg.
Affects operations of Metro
The Metro officials said that the theft of the cable often leads either to a complete halting of the train or single-track operation till new cables are installed.
Last year, eight instances of copper cable thefts were reported, which caused delays in metro operations.
In 2011, a group of three minors were caught red-handed by Metro officials when they were tying to climb onto the piers on the stretch between Qutab Minar and Chhatarpur Metro stations on the Yellow Line. Around 12 metres of copper wire was recovered from them.
Police officials said that this has been the modus operandi of most gangs who have been caught. “They mostly enter through the pillars or even jump onto the track though nearby trees and buildings. They take a few minutes to snap the wire,” the official said.
There are dealers and shops in Jahangirpuri, Seelampur, and Chhatarpur that deal in copper cables. “These dealers do not care where the wires come from. They have a network of suppliers, which either target Metro stations or steal the material while they are being installed,” the official said.
Cheaper alternative
In an attempt to curb the thefts, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation recently announced that it would be replacing all the copper based S-bond cables with cheaper steel-based cables.
The problem of thefts of copper based S-bond cables is not unique to the Delhi metro. Such cases are a concurrent problem in cities such as New York, London and Melbourne.
In Australia last year, the government incurred a cost of 836,000 (Australian dollars) because of thefts of coppers wires. Over 344 were delayed and around 50 others had to be cancelled because of this.
