Powerless night: Thieves drain transformer oil, leave entire Bargarh locality in darkness

Bargarh: Residents of Sridham area in Bargarh town woke up to a power outage Saturday morning, only to discover that thieves had targeted their local transformer, draining it of oil and stealing its copper windings.

According to power officials, the theft occurred late Friday night. When power failed to return by morning, residents alerted the electricity department. A team inspecting the transformer found it had been vandalised — the insulating oil had been drained and the copper coils, which help conduct electricity, had been removed.

Officials from the electricity department filed an FIR with Bargarh Town police. A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway.

It can be mentioned here that transformer oil, a specialised insulating and cooling fluid used in electrical transformers, is often looted for resale. It has industrial value and can also be misused as an adulterant in diesel. Copper, on the other hand, is a valuable metal that fetches a good price in the black market, making transformers an easy target for organised thieves.

PNN

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