Gang arrested for stealing electricity cables. (Credit: ISF)
BEIRUT — The Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced on Sunday that it arrested a gang a week ago that is suspected of stealing electricity cables in some mountainous areas of Mount Lebanon.
Electrical wires have been commonly stolen in Lebanon since the onset of the economic crisis, as some of its metallic components can be sold to scrap dealers.
According to a statement published by the ISF on Sunday, the gang is accused of having stolen electrical cables three times since the beginning of February. First, they stole electrical cables from inside two stations belonging to Electricité du Liban (EDL) on Feb. 3 in Mar Boutros and Bikfaya (Metn).
On that night, the gang broke into two stations belonging to EDL in Dahr al-Sawan and Baabdat, also in Metn, and stole electrical wires.
On the next day, they cut and stole a quantity of electrical wires from two stations belonging to EDL in Baabdat and Ain Saadeh.
Following these events, the ISF was able to determine the car used by the gang to carry out these thefts which turned out to be rented by A. A. (a Syrian, Born in 1995),
"On Feb. 11, after a careful monitoring operation, one of the division’s patrols spotted A.A. accompanied by four people in Tarshish, where it set up a tight ambush for them and was able to arrest them and seize" the car, reads the ISF statement.
The ISF was able to determine the identities of the four other people: R. H. D. (Born in 2002, Syrian), R. A. (Born in 2006, Syrian), F. A. (Born in 1999, Syrian) and F. A. (Born in 2006, Syrian).
Three large iron pieces were also seized, according to the ISF.
During their interrogation, A.A. admitted that he stole with another person electrical cables from the public network in the Mount Lebanon region.
Finally, the ISF announced that it is continuing its efforts "to arrest the rest of those involved."
In June 2023, 15 people were arrested on suspicion of involvement in a series of electrical cable thefts in Downtown Beirut.