Golachipa Gono Odhikar Parishad President Caught Red-Handed While Stealing a Transformer

District Representative

Local residents have caught a man trying to steal an electricity transformer in Patuakhali’s Galachipa and handed him over to the police. Various tools used in the theft of the transformer have been recovered from the arrested man, the Rural Electricity Authority said.

The arrested person is a leader of the People’s Rights Council. The incident has sparked fresh discussion amid allegations of theft of 60 to 65 transformers in the upazila in the past year.

The incident took place in ward number 8 of Naluabagi village of the upazila late on Thursday, October 29. The next day, Friday morning, locals handed over the detained person to the police.

The arrested person is named Md. Monir Mir. He is the president of Ward No. 4 of Golkhali Union of the People’s Rights Council and a former UP member.

According to local residents and police sources, some fishermen were passing through a road in Naluabagi village on Thursday night. The road passed near the house of former UP member Monir Mir. There, they saw a man trying to steal an electricity transformer.

Hearing the fishermen’s screams, the people gathered around and arrested the man. He was later taken to the nearby Purba Dakshin Naluabagi Government Primary School and detained.

Syed Abdul Hannan, junior in-charge of Palli Vidyut’s Julekha Bazar complaint center, said that locals caught Monir Mir red-handed while stealing the transformer. He said that various tools including wrenches, pliers, rods, cutting pliers and mini roll cutter were found from him.

Families in various areas are being left without electricity due to one transformer theft after another, causing long-term suffering for local residents.

Md. Mizanur Rahman Milton, assistant teacher at Uttar Pakshia Government Primary School, said that a transformer was stolen in the Notungram area a month and a half ago. As a result, 25 families there did not receive electricity for about a week.

According to Md. Babul Mia, UP member of Ward No. 4 of Golkhali Union, four to five transformers have been stolen in the area in the last two months. The common people are facing extreme suffering in these incidents.

Joy Prakash Nandi, Deputy General Manager (DGM) of Galachipa Rural Electricity, said that transformer thefts are frequent in 12 unions and one municipality of the upazila. In the last one year, 60 to 65 such complaints have been received.

If no local person files a complaint in these incidents, Palli Vidyut will file a case and take action against the culprits.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Galachipa Police Station Md. Imtiaz Ahmed said that the process of filing a case in the transformer theft case is underway.