SWAT: The police on Monday busted a five-member gang allegedly involved in a series of transformer thefts across the Matta tehsil. The crackdown led to the recovery of stolen transformer coils, a vehicle, and a motorcycle used in the criminal activity.

According to police sources, the theft of transformers and their valuable components particularly copper coils had become a recurring issue over the past few years, not only in Matta tehsil but also in several other districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The surge in such incidents had caused considerable financial losses to the government, and had repeatedly disrupted the power supply in affected areas, adding to the hardships of local communities.In light of the increasing complaints, Malakand regional police officer Sher Akbar Khan and district police officer Mohammad Umar Khan took notice of the situation and directed SP upper Swat Shaukat Ali to investigate and bring the culprits to justice.

Acting on the directives, SP Shaukat Ali formed a special team comprising DSP Matta circle Bakhtzada Khan, and SHOs of different police stations. The team employed modern investigative techniques, including scientific evidence gathering, surveillance, and intelligence sharing, to identify and locate the gang members.

The suspects arrested in the operation have been identified as Safdar Ali, Kaki alias Jamal, Ali Akbar, Irfan, and Wahidullah Khan, residents of Shawar area of Matta tehsil.

During the investigation, the sus-pects confessed to stealing copper coils and other expensive components from 11 transformers located in different parts of Matta. The stolen items were later sold in the black market, causing heavy losses to the Water and Power Development Authority and local electricity consumers.

Officials said that further interrogation was underway and more arrests were expected as investigations had been expanded to trace the broader network potentially involved in transformer thefts across the province.

The arrest of the gang has been welcomed by residents of the area, who expressed relief and appreciation for the police`s swift and effective action.

The local authorities have assured the public that efforts will continue to crack down on such criminal elements.