Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Jan 9: The Mumbai Police have registered a case against three former employees of an internet service provider for allegedly cutting and stealing optical fibre cables, disrupting internet connectivity in several parts of Mulund (West).

The accused have been identified as Karan Udhim, Sagar Katkar and Aman Shaikh, all former employees of Intech Online Private Limited, a Thane-based internet service provider. The incident came to light earlier this month after residents of Mulund (West) complained of sudden internet outages.

According to police, the company detected the disruption on January 5 when multiple customers reported loss of connectivity. A subsequent inspection revealed that optical fibre cables along Deen Dayal Road, a key part of the firm’s network infrastructure, had been deliberately cut and removed.

CCTV footage from the area allegedly showed the three accused, along with four unidentified accomplices, damaging and stealing the fibre cables. “The visuals clearly indicated the involvement of the former employees in cutting and removing the cables,” a police officer said.

Following this, Abdul Shaikh (58), manager of Intech Online Private Limited, lodged a complaint, based on which a case was registered under Section 42 of the Telecommunications Act for damage to critical telecom infrastructure.

Police investigations revealed that the accused were among seven employees terminated by the company around six months ago. They were reportedly sacked for creating a disturbance at the office while allegedly under the influence of alcohol. Investigators are probing whether the act was motivated by personal revenge or financial gain through cable theft.

Efforts are on to identify and nab the remaining four suspects seen in the CCTV footage. Police are also working to recover the stolen cables and assess the total loss caused to the company. Meanwhile, the affected internet services have since been restored following emergency repair work by the firm.