The transformer was retrieved by the LEC Investigative Team headed by James Doeway and officers of the Liberia National Police on Monday, November 25.
Monrovia –As part of efforts to crack down on power theft which usually leads to the destruction of lives and properties, the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) has retrieved a stolen brand new 100KVA transformer in the Township of West Point in Monrovia.
By Obediah Johnson, [email protected]
The transformer was retrieved by the LEC Investigative Team headed by James Doeway and officers of the Liberia National Police on Monday, November 25.
Making the disclosure, Doeway stated that the transformer was retrieved following an intelligence received by his team.
He disclosed that intelligence gathered has established that the stolen was transported in the township of West Point by unknown persons using a canoe.
He noted that unknown individuals hid the stolen transformer under a tarpaulin, making it difficult for anyone to easily notice that it was there.
Doeway pointed out that following the retrieval of the brand-new transformer, no residents of the township could give an account of how it was mounted.
He stressed that from a preliminary probe conducted, it has been established that the transformer belongs to the LEC.
“We got here by 7:30AM based on intelligence we gathered; we are trying to see whether it was reliable from our sources; we sent other people to see and check and they provided us pictorial evidence. After gathering information, we decided to launch our investigation and it was proven that we have a brand-new transformer in the West Point Community.”
Doeway maintained that the stolen transformer would be uprooted and taken to the head offices of the corporation for further investigation.
He stressed that any residents of the township claiming ownership of the transformer “can follow us.”
“We asked a few residents (about how the transformer got here) and all of them are saying ‘we just got up this morning and saw the transformer’ like something just appeared. This transformer can’t just appear out of the blue sky. From intelligence sources, we came undercover this morning and saw the transformer and we decided to get in touch with our partners-the Liberia National Police and other security apparatus.”
He described the situation as a “terrible organized crime”. “We don’t know how this transformer got here; the entire West Point area, there is no passage for it because it is a very large one. We don’t know where they took it from to get it here. So, we are trying to see how best we can gather enough manpower from around the community to carry it.”
Doeway, however, assured that the ongoing investigation would also unearth and identify those who stole the transformer and mounted it in the Township of West Point.
He said local authorities of the township will be contacted to aid with the investigation and ensure the return of the stolen transformer to the head offices of the LEC in the township.
“This is an organized crime and we will see how best to get it from here. We are trying to trace the would-be criminals to prosecute them.”
Elizabeth Doe, an elderly woman, residing a few steps away from where the stolen transformer was mounted, denied any knowledge of how the LEC property was installed around her residence.
She claimed to have been stationed indoors consistently due to her illness at the time the stolen transformer was installed.
