KARACHI, Dec 14: Three members of a gang were caught red-handed stealing underground cables worth Rs500,000 in Muwachh Goth in the small hours of Thursday. The KESC police received a tip-off and rushed to the spot where the thieves identified as Fida, Jehanzeb and Nabi-ur-Rehman, were caught cutting the underground extra-high tension line cables. A truck (No. JU-2680) with words ‘on KESC duty’ was parked near the spot where they had dug up the ground to cut the cables with heavy duty cutters. The truck driver, Shakeel, believed to be the ringleader, managed to escape.

During interrogation, the detainees said the truck was owned by a KESC contractor, Abdul Qadir Memon. They said stolen cables would be sold in the market.

An FIR (No. 288/06) was registered at Mauripur police station.