Rewritten Title: Internal Theft Ring Busted at Mashhad Electricity Company, Five Employees Detained
Article Content:
A sophisticated internal theft ring targeting electrical infrastructure in Mashhad has been dismantled following a meticulous investigation, leading to the detention of five company employees.
Discovery of Theft and Initial Investigation
Earlier this year, the experienced security forces of the Mashhad Electricity Company received reports indicating that equipment and property had been stolen from a battery post on Shahid Mousavi Ghouchani Boulevard. A team of technical security experts discreetly launched a field investigation. Their specialized examination of the electrical post revealed that the thefts were an inside job; the thieves had entered the building without breaking the locks and had stolen large quantities of transformer connection cables.
A Critical Clue Unlocks the Case
The investigation turned on a single piece of evidence: a left-handed guard glove found in a channel at the scene, bearing the name of a contracted company employee. This critical lead prompted an immediate review of CCTV footage around the post. The footage confirmed that the identified individual, along with several other technical staff from the Mashhad Electricity Distribution Company, had illegally entered the post outside of their official duties, cut the cables into pieces, and transported them to an unknown location.
Judicial Action and Arrests
After several contracted and temporary employees were identified as suspects in the theft of company property and equipment, the matter was reported to the judicial authorities. Given its importance, the case was assigned to Branch 453 of the Shahid Beheshti Judicial Complex in Mashhad for investigation.
Under the decisive and confidential orders of Judge Seyed Mahdi Hosseini, detectives from the North Base of Mashhad’s Criminal Investigation Department were tasked with a root-and-branch investigation and the arrest of all individuals involved. Led by Captain Shafiei, a team of skilled detectives, under the direct guidance of Major Mirzaei, head of the North Base, expanded their probe. They discovered that similar thefts had occurred at other electrical posts.
Guided by the experienced judge of the Mashhad Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office, the detectives successfully carried out several swift operations, detaining five company employees and transferring them to a security facility.
Confessions and a Wider Network
During interrogations, the suspects’ confessions revealed the involvement of an Afghan national, identified as a professional receiver of stolen goods, who had purchased the looted materials from the criminal group.
One 40-year-old individual, who identified himself as a company contractor and whose glove was found at the scene, stated during interrogation that he and accomplices had cut and sold the cables for 23.5 million tomans to the Afghan national.
A detained contractual employee of the company detailed how they used a key to access the locked post, confirmed the cables were de-energized using technical equipment, and then cut and loaded them into a vehicle. He claimed he received only 5 million tomans from the operation.
When questioned about over 400 million tomans transferred from his bank account to one of the contractors, the 70-year-old Afghan national claimed the payments were for “buying sheep.” Detectives challenged this, noting that some transfers were for amounts too small to even purchase two kilos of meat, leaving the defendant with no answer.
The case remains under active investigation as authorities work to uncover the full extent of the thefts and the network involved.