Archive · 31 Aug 2026
Two Die in Nigdi BSNL Duct as Cable Theft Probe
Two young men went into an underground cable chamber in Nigdi and died.
The chamber was about 10 feet deep.
Police think they may have gone there to steal cables, but this has not been proven.
Three people who were with them were detained and questioned.
The telephone company said it had not sent the men to do any work.
The men were not company employees.
Fire officials warned that dangerous gases or a lack of oxygen can build up in such chambers.
Police are waiting for medical reports to learn exactly how the men died.
Three other workers died in the same chamber last year.
Manoj Baburao Shinde, 26, and Amol Ashok Shinde, 19, died after entering a roughly 10-foot-deep BSNL duct in Nigdi Pradhikaran.
Police are investigating a possible cable-theft motive based on preliminary questioning of three people detained in Hingoli.
BSNL officials and contractors said they had not sent the youths there, and neither deceased man was a BSNL employee.
The cause of death remains unconfirmed, with police awaiting medical and post-mortem findings on possible suffocation, oxygen loss or toxic gases.
The same duct has now claimed five lives, including three workers who died there in August 2025.
- Who
- Manoj Baburao Shinde, Amol Ashok Shinde, three detained associates, Pimpri-Chinchwad Police, BSNL officials and contractors.
- What
- Two men died after entering an underground BSNL duct; police are investigating a possible cable-theft motive and the circumstances of their deaths.
- When
- Late Wednesday night; three other people died in the same duct on August 15, 2025.
- Where
- Near Lokmanya Hospital in Nigdi Pradhikaran, Pimpri-Chinchwad; the three associates were questioned in Hingoli.
- Why
- Police suspect the men may have entered to steal BSNL cables, but the reason remains unconfirmed.
Police Investigation
BSNL and Contractors
Why the men entered
Police Investigation
Police said preliminary questioning suggested the men may have gone to steal BSNL cables, but Assistant Commissioner of Police Prashant Dhole said the claim was still being verified.
BSNL and Contractors
BSNL officials and contractors said they had not sent the men to the location for work, and the deceased were not BSNL employees.
Safety and responsibility
Police Investigation
Police and fire officials are examining whether dangerous conditions inside the duct, including toxic gases or insufficient oxygen, contributed to the deaths.
BSNL and Contractors
The article does not establish who was responsible for safety at the site, but the repeated deaths have raised questions about whether adequate measures were implemented after last year's incident.
- Deaths in latest incident
- Two men: Manoj Baburao Shinde, 26, and Amol Ashok Shinde, 19.
- Duct depth
- Approximately 10 feet.
- Emergency report
- Police received information at about 11:45 p.m. that two people were trapped.
- Investigation
- Three people who were reportedly with the deceased were detained and questioned in Hingoli.
- Possible causes
- Police are examining suffocation, lack of oxygen, toxic gases or another cause.
- Previous deaths
- Three workers died in the same duct on August 15, 2025.
- Total deaths
- Five people have died inside the duct in about a year.