FOUR pseudo power repair workers, accused of stealing cables worth 80,000 yuan (US$11,775), have been arrested for theft, said Baoshan District prosecutors.

On May 7, the alleged ringleader Wang Zhao and three others drove a van, disguised as a power company repair vehicle, to an inspection shaft on Lingnan Road. They placed fences around the site, donned power company uniforms and began their criminal work, prosecutors said.

They added the gang opened a manhole cover, drained off water using a pump, and used a chainsaw to sever cables.

Investigation showed they had cut off 71 sections of cables worth 78,824 yuan, prosecutors said. Police caught the suspects at the scene.