Rajkot: Dhrol police in Jamnagar district apprehended a gang of five men who allegedly stole electric wires from solar plants, recovering stolen property worth Rs 4.45 lakh.The investigation began after a major theft was reported between the evening of March 31 and the early morning of April 1, 2026. Unidentified persons had stolen around 12,000 metres of wire, valued at Rs 2.40 lakh, from a solar plant near Piyava Chowkdi in Hariper village on the Dhrol-Latipur road. Dhrol police analysed CCTV footage, carried out technical surveillance and collated human intelligence with assistance from the Jamnagar command and control centre. The surveillance team received information that the suspects were travelling from Jamnagar towards Dhrol. Police then intercepted a car on the Jamnagar-Rajkot highway and arrested four men from the vehicle. Further interrogation led police to the receiver of the stolen material, taking the total number of arrests to five. The arrested accused were identified as Hussain alias Lengho Mepani (26), Arif Tayani (20), Aslam Tayani (23), Ashif Mepani (23) and Bashir Chauhan (35), a scrap dealer who allegedly bought stolen wire. Police seized 125kg of burned copper wire worth Rs 1.25 lakh along with tools used in the thefts. Officials said the operation helped solve two copper wire theft cases registered at Dhrol and Jodiya police stations. Police also noted that Arif and Aslam Tayani have criminal records and were earlier involved in a theft case registered in 2025 at Sikka police station.
