India, July 11 -- The Mumbai police's crime branch has arrested an employee of the state-owned Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Limited (MTNL) for allegedly helping an organised gang steal underground copper cables worth crores across the city.

The accused, Vinod Fundan Yadav, 54, worked as a clerk-cum-supervisor at MTNL's Kandivali office. According to the police, he used to guide the gang by providing them with details and precise locations of underground copper cables laid by MTNL.

The crime branch has in recent months busted an expansive racket involving highly organised gangs that exploited road excavation and infrastructure projects across Mumbai to steal valuable underground copper cables using heavy machinery. According to the police, MT...