Thieves stole electricity wires Tuesday from two residential compounds in Putuo district, damaging electric appliances in about 180 households, local media reported.

The thieves stole earth lines from utility poles in two compounds on Xuesong Road in Taopu town in the early hours of the morning, according to a report on the news portal xinmin.cn. The theft caused an increase in voltage that damaged the electric appliances.

Residents discovered the damage around 5 am. A resident surnamed Wu said he heard a loud pop from the electric appliances in his home and saw smoke rising from his television.

He discovered that his other electronics and appliances, including his computers and refrigerators, had also been damaged.

Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company workers replaced the stolen wires. The compounds regained electricity around 10 am.

Insurance companies will help residents repair their electric appliances and compensate them for some of the damage, the report said.

Residents said that someone has stolen the wires from the two residential compounds more than 20 times in recent years.

Thieves can only make a few hundred yuan selling the stolen wire, while the loss that residents suffer is much more severe.

Global Times