Sharjah: Police arrest gang specialised in stealing electric cables, wires

Sharjah Police have arrested 10 people for operating a criminal network specialised in stealing electric cables and wires from various construction sites in Khorfakkan.

The Eastern Region Police Department received several complaints reporting the theft of electric cables and wires from these construction sites.

CID teams, deployed in targeted areas, obtained information about the identity of the criminals after one of the guards at a construction site said he had noticed a group of people inside. They had been trying to destroy an electric cable.

The police rushed to the scene and tried to intercept the criminals, who fled, leaving behind the tools they used.

After intensifying the investigation, the CID officers managed to identify five suspects, who were arrested after they confessed their involvement with the theft. The remaining five members of the criminal network were arrested through a trap laid by the CID teams. They, too, admitted their connection with the construction site thefts.

Lt-Col Saeed Khalfan Al Naqbi, head of the Criminal Investigations Department at the Eastern Region Police Department, confirmed that the theft of electric wires (usually made of copper) had become a concern for construction companies, as well as owners of facilities under construction.

He explained that the Sharjah Police had launched a Security Awareness campaign for the owners of facilities under construction, with the aim of making them aware of safety requirements and security measures to be used in protecting construction sites from thefts.

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The safety measures include stationing a permanent guard on site, keeping construction material and equipment in a safe place, and using headlights to facilitate site monitoring in the evenings.

He requested owners of the facilities under construction to adhere to these measures to reduce the likelihood of thefts, and to report any suspicious movement around the site by contacting the Operations Room of the Eastern Region Police Department (09 237 0000) for non-emergency cases, or through a guard service via the General Command application, Sharjah Police.

• Sharjah