Man electrocuted to death after trying to steal power cables in BH

A man was electrocuted after trying to steal power cables from a Cemig box, this Sunday morning (30), in the João Pinheiro neighborhood, in the northwest of Belo Horizonte. The unidentified victim was said to be homeless.

Carpenter Ricardo Barbosa de Oliveira, 34, arrived at work around 8 in the morning when he realized that the establishment was without electricity.

“I had no light, and the neighbor upstairs told me that the transformer was on fire. I went to the transformer (on Mariano Procópio street) and when I saw the box, smoke came out and there was a body inside. I even ran out because I was scared. a lot and I called the police, the firefighter and Cemig to isolate the place, ”he said.

A fire engine was first moved to the site to address the risk of electrocution. Upon arrival, military personnel found the body inside the box.

“After the call to Cemig, we put out the fire and asked the Civil Police for an expert opinion. What the staff said is that the victim was walking with a car. This car was located at another point with materials that indicate that it was trying to steal Cemig’s electrical network, “explained Lieutenant Sérgio Magalhães, of the 1st Firefighters Battalion.

According to the military, the box was completely sealed and the victim removed the lid.

“Any contact we have with the electrical network, even in our house, is in danger of receiving a shock. Here it was a very high voltage and it died. Possibly, the victim did not feel the shock. It was instantaneous.” , detailed the military.

Wandering

Rua Mariano Procópio is on the banks of the Vía Expressa and, constantly, vagabonds pass by.

“I’ve been working here for about ten years and I have a lot of homeless people, a lot of drug addicts. People usually come from the center in the direction of Contagem. 30 days ago there was another cable robbery around here,” Oliveira said.

After the expert’s work, the body will be sent to the Medical Legal Institute (IML).