Media baron, SoBo locals left without net as man cuts cable

In what is supected to be an act provoked by business rivalry, more than 3,000 households, including Zee TV founder Subhash Chandra Goyal's bungalow and the Cuffe Parade police station, lost their cable and Internet connections for 16 hours after an unidentified man severed a cable wire. The severed cable was part of the network of Wire and Wireless India, owned by Goyal and the cops suspect the involvement of rival cable operators in the incident.

Disconnected: Zee TV founder Subhash Chandra Goyal and other locals had no Internet connection, as two persons arrived on a motorbike and severed the fibre cable and fled. File pic

According to the Cuffe Parade police, on May 14 they registered a non-cognisable complaint (NC's copy with MiD DAY) against unknown persons under Section 427 of the IPC. As per the complaint filed on May 13, a motorcycle-borne duo turned up at Goyal's bungalow at Nariman Point and one climbed the tree in front of the bungalow, severed the fibre cable and fled. After 16 hours, a special team reconnected the wire.

The cable firm concernend lost upto Rs 6 lakh due to the incident. "The accused have knowledge about cable wires as they had cut an integral connection," said Illyas Khan, operator of the company. Cops speculate that the accused may have been identified in CCTV footage recovered from Jolly Maker Chamber-II.

It is suspected that the accused belong to a cable wire company. Investigations are still on. Though an NC has been registered, the company has asked for an FIR to be registered under the Information Technology Act. "We have registered an NC in the matter. Prima facie, it seems to be business rivalry. The matter is under investigation," said Inspector Vilas Bhole, Cuffe Parade police
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