HARIPUR: Unknown thieves took away electrical material worth millions of rupees from the main supply store in a high security zone of Tarbela dam, official sources and police said here on Thursday.

A letter from the chief engineer (Power) to the Ghazi police station stated that during routine checking of the Dhal supply store on October 9, the dam officials found 176 stator winding bars and 80 series connectors missing from the storage.

The dam official requested the Ghazi police for registration of an FIR and investigation into the theft of costly electrical material. The complainant didn’t mention the cost of stolen material in his complaint; however, an informed source told Dawn that the stolen material was worth up to Rs 600 million.

DSP Ghazi Raja Basheer Khan, while talking to Dawn, said that the area of Dhal supply store was one of the most sensitive areas of the dam that remained under tight security due to the movement of Chinese engineers, engaged in constructionwork of Tarbela 5th Extension project. He said that the Ghazi police launched an inquiry into the theft.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2024