[vmception]

I heard they were being used for fabric / fashion

I haven't thought about it for 15 years, and now with "basic research" and I couldn't find anything about either fiber optic or copper metal theft being used for fabric in Africa

nothing on snopes, nothing in your wiki page. in my prior comment I felt either was equally likely

it did nothing to augment what I might or might not believe, thank you for the contribution about general metal theft

[hrydgard]

It's absolutely a thing, even in developed countries people will steal cabling for scrap metal, even if it's getting rarer. Copper roofs on very old churches are also commonly stolen for scrap value.

[fastball]

The issue is that you didn't mention fabric / fashion in your first comment, and nobody can read your mind.

Your initial comment came across as saying you just didn't believe that people steal metal.

[vmception]

The parent comment was "my dad used to tell me this story", "in rural India in the 60s"

It wasn't about not believing the possibility, it was about noticing how I heard a similar story which featured association and no source, and identifying that this is the same way that all urban legends exist. I also said "or maybe I have been missing an entrepreneurial opportunity" completely, and clearly saying that I am open to believing when referencable information was provided, which it immediately was by the first response while ironically villifying me instead of leaving it at the educational moment.