Srinagar, Mar 19 (KNO): While India has witnessed widespread incidents of telephone cable theft in recent years, Jammu & Kashmir has reported no such cases since 2021-22, according to data from the Department of Telecommunications.
As per the official report, a copy of which lies with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), J&K has recorded eight incidents of cable theft in 2021-22 but has reported zero cases in the last three years (2022-25).
This places the Union Territory among the lowest in the country for such crimes, alongside regions like Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, which have had no reported cases.
In contrast, major metropolitan areas like Delhi (53 cases in 2024-25) and Mumbai (41 cases in 2024-25) continue to struggle with high numbers of cable theft incidents. Himachal Pradesh (238 cases in 2021-23) and the Northeast region (133 cases in 2021-23) also faced major challenges, though numbers have declined in recent years.
The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) have implemented several measures to curb cable theft, including coordinating with civic agencies to monitor digging activities, filing FIRs against theft incidents and increased patrolling along cable routes.
These steps have contributed to an overall decline in cable theft incidents nationwide, dropping from 678 cases in 2021-22 to 138 cases in 2024-25—(KNO)