3 held for stealing transformer coils in Bokaro

Bokaro: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Thursday arrested three men for stealing transformer coils a few days ago from a construction site under the joint rural water supply project in the Nawadih police station area.

SP Bokaro Harvinder Singh said that an FIR was earlier registered against 10 to 15 unidentified persons for allegedly stealing transformer coils from within the boundary wall of an under-construction building at Chapri village. The accused reportedly held the site supervisor and a security guard hostage, assaulted them, and caused injuries before fleeing with the equipment.

The arrested persons are Sundarlal Marandi, Jitendra Murmu, and Phulchand Hansda, from Chhotkikudi and Adalbeda villages.

According to police, the gang used thick ropes to short-circuit 11,000-volt power lines. Once the line tripped, they would remove transformer coils and sell them.

The SP said the accused possessed technical expertise and operated in remote rural areas, avoiding the use of four-wheelers to evade detection. Efforts are underway to identify and arrest the mastermind and other members of the gang, he added.