HYDERABAD, Dec 7: Hesco and Nooriabad industrialists suffered heavy losses in the wake of a day-long power breakdown that occurred due to theft of live high-tension wires and conductors on Saturday.

Hesco chief engineer Abdul Rasheed Khan confirmed this over telephone and said that power supply to the grid stations of Nooriabad, Kaloo Kalhar, Thana Bula Khan and Essa Cement Factory was suspended after thieves stole live 132KV wires and conductors between Jamshoro and Kaloo Kalhar.

An industry source told this correspondent that a loss of at least Rs3 billion was incurred by more than 45 industrial units of Nooriabad and other places.

The source said that at least 100 culprits were involved in the incident as it was not possible to uproot 80-foot high poles otherwise.

He said that the culprits had managed to uproot the poles by tying ropes around them and then using trucks to weaken the foundation with the result that they fell.

The local people were also badly affected as they remained without power from 9pm on Saturday to 6 pm on Sunday.

A Hesco spokesman said that the chief executive of the company Tariq Arshad rushed to the spot with emergency staff and supervised the restoration work.

The XEN of the area has reportedly lodged a case with the Lunikot police against unidentified thieves.