India, Aug. 8 -- Around 40 different gangs across the city are involved in systematically digging out defunct telecom cables belonging to the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and selling the copper extracted from them at a premium, the Mumbai police crime branch has learnt after interrogating 10 people arrested in connection with the theft of underground MTNL cables in Borivali on June 30.

Operational for at least six months, the gangs have divided the city into four zones, with separate gangs operating in south Mumbai, central Mumbai, eastern Mumbai and north Mumbai, said Vishal Raje from the crime branch (unit 10) who led the team that apprehended four accused from the spot on June 30.

Cumulatively, the gangs have already stol...