Manjalpur police on Thursday arrested five men in connection with a series of burglaries targeting private companies in the Makarpura GIDC area, recovering stolen copper cables worth over Rs 3 lakh.
Authorities said the gang specifically targeted metal firms, stealing expensive copper wires. Following multiple complaints, police reviewed CCTV footage and used human intelligence to trace the suspects. Two accused, Divyang Rana and Arvindsingh Sardar, were spotted near Ranoli bridge and taken into custody. During questioning, they confessed to committing the thefts along with accomplices Jaimin Shinde, Pratik Solanki, and Mitesh Parmar, who were subsequently arrested.
Investigations revealed that the gang conducted prior reconnaissance in Makarpura GIDC to identify companies storing copper cables. They would sneak into industrial units at night, steal the cables, transport them using different vehicles, and then sell the stolen goods, sharing the proceeds among themselves.
Police stated that Divyang Rana, a key member of the gang, has at least 11 burglary cases registered against him across Vadodara and Anand districts and has previously been booked twice under the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA). Authorities are probing whether the gang is linked to other similar offences in the city.
