CAIRO: Two men in their twenties have been arrested after they were caught stealing copper cables which operate the metro traffic lights, reported El Gomhuria daily.
The two men caught the metro operators’ attention as they were seen walking along the track in the area between El Zahraa and Dar El Salaam.
Metro operators thought that they were maintenance workers assigned to check the traffic lights when they saw the two men climbing the post on which the lights were fixed.
They only began to suspect them after they watched them disconnect the cables. Concerned about the possibility of an accident, they immediately reported the incident to metro police.
Mohamed El Sayed, 21, a worker based in Old Cairo, was arrested as he tried to flee the scene.
Upon searching him, police found a saw that he had used to cut the cable.
Investigations showed that El Seyed had been wanted in connection with a drug-related case in Badrashein.
He also confessed that he had tried to steal the cables, with the help of his accomplice Abu Isa, so that they could sell them to junk dealers.
The culprit has been remanded in prosecution and efforts are still ongoing to catch the other thief.
The two men will be facing charges of stealing public property and endangering the lives of metro users.
