Spree of electric wire thefts in Phuket casues B2mn in damages

PHUKET: Police are hunting for a thief or thieves who have been stealing wires and equipment from electric poles in many areas of Phuket, causing more than 2 million baht worth of estimated loss.

Locals in many areas, particularly Thalang and Kathu, have filed several complaints about unlit streets in their areas for the past two months.

“They are not only stealing wires and equipment from electric poles, but from traffic lights as well. This has impacted residents as well as municipal authorities working in the area. In May and June alone, they have hit at least five areas – four in Thalang and one in Kathu. The latest incident occurred yesterday, when equipment was stolen from the Kathu-Koh Kaew line near Pae Kruwit restaurant,” said Teeradet Kamleang, Deputy Direct of the Phuket Rural Road Office (RRD).

“RRD itself has suffered about a million baht worth of damages and the same amount by private companies in the area,” he added.

The department has filed complaints with both Kathu and Thalang police stations to ask for help in finding the culprit(s).

“In some areas, they have come back to steal the wires a second time after we replaced them. We have asked residents to keep an eye out and report anything suspicious to local authorities,” said Mr Teeradet.

“As there are no CCTV cameras in many of the affected areas, it is hard to find out exactly what happened. We request police to take urgent action on this,” he added.

Last month, a nine-member gang was arrested with 500kg of stolen copper cables and cutting tools at a construction site in Phuket (story here).

— Kritsada Mueanhawong