Telecommunications Disrupted: Two Suspects Arrested for Repeated Cable Thefts

Two criminals have been detained following a series of cable thefts that significantly disrupted telecommunications networks. They are targeting cables to extract copper, often referred to as "red gold." Between December 2025 and January 2026, several similar incidents were reported at telecommunications operator sites.

In the northern part of the island, in Rivière-du-Rempart, early in the morning on Wednesday, January 21, an operator was alerted to a sudden network outage in the Schoenfeld area. Upon arrival, a technician found that the lock on the main door had been forced, and 540 meters of armored cables, as well as underground and fiber cables, had been stolen. The estimated damage is Rs 500,000.

Still in the north, in the village of Calebasses, this same operator experienced another copper cable theft on January 16. And as the saying goes, "never two without three," the Notre-Dame relay site was also targeted on December 10. That day, the Main Monitoring Center based in Ébène alerted a technician to a power failure and the inability to start the generator. Upon inspection, it was clear that cables in the generator room had been stolen.

On January 14, another operator was targeted. A palm-shaped antenna was vandalized, and copper cables valued at Rs 100,000 were cut and taken away.

In the center of the island, at Camp Caval, Curepipe, the same operator suffered a similar theft on January 24 at 5:50 AM at the site on Paratian Avenue. 540 meters of cable from the Remote Radio Unit, located in a metal tower and estimated at Rs 500,000, were stolen.

These incidents prompted the Divisional Crime Investigation Unit of the Northern Division to launch an operation that led to the identification of the perpetrators. Two suspects were arrested: Umar Inbr Hussayn Mamode Ally, 32, and Palama Siven Caroopen, 39, both residents of Rose-Hill. During interrogation, the first suspect confessed and implicated his accomplice.

The investigation also revealed that the suspects had deliberately altered the license plate number of the vehicle used during their crimes. Charged with theft, the two men remain in police custody.