ONGWEDIVA- A 21-year-old man died instantly after he was electrocuted as he allegedly attempted to steal copper cables at Ekamba village last Tuesday night.
According to Oshana police spokesperson Thomas Aiyambo, the incident happened behind the Ekamba clinic in Oshana region.
The man, who is from Omafo village in the Etayi constituency was electrocuted while trying to steal high-voltage copper cables connected to a power transformer.
His body was discovered by a passerby who alerted the paramedics at Oshakati state hospital.
The pair of pliers the man allegedly used to cut the cables was found next to the body.
His next of kin have been informed of his death.
This comes a few days after NBC’s Kati FM went silent for over 24 hours after thieves stole cables that feed telecommunication services to three major institutions in Oshakati.
Aiyambo said the theft also affected Oshana regional council and the regional directorate of education, alongside the state broadcaster’s regional office.
The thieves stole the cables that passed through a manhole behind the regional council office.
They cut the cables from the ground as well as the connection cables on the poles.
Aiyambo said the thieves mostly sell the stolen copper wires to scrap metal dealers.
Aiyambo urged scrap metal dealers to stop buying copper wires and report such incidents to the police.