Man electrocuted while stealing live electrical cable in Oman

Muscat: A young man was electrocuted while apparently trying to purloin a length of live electrical cable near Barka just outside Muscat.

In a statement, the Royal Oman Police said they suspect the deceased was part of a gang that had targeted electrical supply equipment at a complex near Barka.

The accomplices are believed to have fled the scene after the tragedy.

Thefts of copper cable are rife in the Sultanate - a phenomenon that has prompted the country's biggest utility Muscat Electricity Distribution Company (MEDC) to launch a major campaign against the menace.

Copper sold as scrap

The cables are targeted for their copper and aluminium wire, which is extracted and sold as scrap.

MEDC has complained of repeated attacks on its electrical distribution infrastructure often leading to outages in remote parts of its jurisdiction.

The thieves are known to have preyed on the utility's underground cables, substations and transformers resulting in significant losses. In some instances, the vandals are known to have attacked live networks.