Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 328 - 232 Reconnaissance Thinking_2

At this time, Old Ding and the second elder brother hurried back in the rain.

Both of them, unsurprisingly, were interested in the "antique", going onto the newly "patched" water platform, looking left and right, finding a large water platform better than having none before.

However, compared to the antique Han Yu had picked up, they were more concerned about the case.

After visiting in the rain for a while, they entered the police duty room on the first level of the dunship, squeezing water out of their clothes while discussing the case details.

"The stolen transformers weren’t three, but five."

"Five!"

Han Yu was greatly shocked.

Fang Zhiqiang forced a smile, "We initially thought it was three, but then two more village cadres reported that the transformers at their village’s drainage mouths were also missing."

Losing five flood-prevention drainage power transformers, especially during the onset of a typhoon, truly constituted a major case.

The city leaders were alarmed; it was very likely they’d demand the Police Bureau solve the case promptly.

In the preceding years at Binjiang Port, there was a murder case, and due to the failure to capture the murderer within the deadline, the Director of the City Police Bureau, the Deputy Director in charge of criminal investigations, the head of the Criminal Investigation Department, the Director of the Port District Bureau and the Director of the Binjiang Port Police Station were all either transferred or dismissed... frёeωebɳovel.com

Thinking of these, Han Yu realized the severity of the issue and anxiously asked, "Are there any clues?"

"We just finished examining the site, and Wang Yan and his team were making inquiries in the rain, but so far no valuable clues have been gathered." Fang Zhiqiang really wanted to smoke, but the cigarettes in his pocket were wet.

Old Ding opened a drawer in his desk, took out a pack, and offered one, saying, "We don’t even know when they were stolen."

If it were any other case, Han Yu couldn’t have interjected.

But since the drainage mouth transformers were missing, Han Yu felt he could help with the analysis, casually picking up pen and paper to ask, "Chief Ding, second elder brother, do you know the model of the stolen transformers?"

"What model?"

"The model of the transformers."

"We only looked at the scene, and the village cadres couldn’t provide clear explanation either. The stolen ones are those that convert 10-kilovolt high voltage into 380-volt three-phase electricity, probably similar to the ones you have installed onshore."

"10 kilovolts is just the voltage; I’m talking about capacity."

"Transformers have capacities?"

"Of course."

Han Yu realized they really didn’t understand and patiently explained, "The same transformers that convert 10 kilovolts to 380 volts—places with higher electricity usage will have larger capacity transformers installed, and places with less usage will have smaller ones. Larger capacity transformers are definitely more expensive and look bigger than smaller ones; we must clarify this situation immediately."

Fang Zhiqiang instinctively asked, "And then?"

"I think this way, those who dare to steal transformers, even if they are not electricians, must understand electricity."

"That’s definite, or else they would have been electrocuted long ago."

"Right, the transformers were stolen, but were the wires cut and taken too?"

"The wires weren’t."

"Did you guys ask what kind of wires the transmission lines are using?"

"We didn’t ask."

"You need to ask quickly, particularly whether they’re copper or aluminum wires, especially their type and diameter."

Chief Ding took several puffs of his cigarette, puzzled, "The wires weren’t cut and stolen, why ask about the wires?"

Han Yu organized his thoughts and analyzed layer by layer, "Transformers are so heavy, one person definitely cannot move them; it’s definitely a group crime, and it’s very likely they were transported away by boat."

Fang Zhiqiang nodded, "That’s what Chief Ding and I analyzed as well."

"Since it’s a group crime, they definitely need to split the loot, and to split the loot they need to fence it. The transformer’s principle is simple; the outer casing has a radiator, which can only be sold as scrap metal, not worth much. Inside are two sets of coils wrapped around silicon steel sheets, one set is high-voltage, the other low-voltage, installed into the casing and then filled with transformer oil for cooling.

The transformer oil can’t be sold for much either; silicon steel sheets are not cheap but hard to sell for a good price, which means if they only wanted to sell copper, they wouldn’t need to go through so much trouble to steal transformers and dismantle the coils; with that ability, they could simply steal wires."

Han Yu was worried they wouldn’t understand, and explained further with gestures: "Cut off both ends, coil it up and take it back, then strip the insulation to sell the copper. Isn’t it simpler than stealing such heavy transformers and dismantling their enameled wire coils inside?"

Fang Zhiqiang, still somewhat puzzled, asked, "Salted Fish, are you saying they might not be planning to sell scrap copper but rather the transformers themselves?"

"I encountered a fence while checking the recycling points at Yingchuan Port, where a person running a transformer factory was buying up old electrical transformers."

"To refurbish them?"

"Yes, quite simply. Some don’t even change the casing; just sanding it down and respraying it, fitting a new nameplate, and it’s like a brand-new transformer."

"We just need to figure out the models of those five transformers, and we can start looking into the recycling points and even the manufacturers who buy back transformers!"

Han Yu nodded, thought for a moment, and then laughed: "The vehicles they used for the crime must be boats, but they couldn’t have gone into the Yangtze River, because Bailong Port has a water security checkpoint, and Uncle Ding, you check the locks almost daily. They wouldn’t dare take that risk."

Chief Ding suddenly realized and laughed: "Yingchuan Port Lock, Binjiang Ship Lock, anywhere that provides access to the river has water security checkpoints. So, transporting the transformers out of town is unlikely. Since there are so many power transformer manufacturers in Binjiang, we just need to follow this lead and we’re bound to find some clues."

"Plus the scrap material collection points."

Han Yu evaluated the options and continued: "The drainage outlets are by the river, and the criminals likely used boats, it can be considered a maritime criminal case, so the Water Police Station also has jurisdiction. Leave the development zone and Chonggang District to me; I’ll contact Director Jia right away and ask for help with the investigations."

"Alright, tell Old Jia for me that no matter if the case is cracked or not, I owe him a favor, and I will buy him a meal."

"Got it."

Han Yu smiled and reminded, "We need to hurry up and gather the information I just mentioned, and once we figure out the models of the stolen transformers, I’ll also ask Political Commissioner Wang to reach out to Captain Wei and see if similar cases have occurred elsewhere, to see if we can link them and find other clues."

Old Ding was really worried and didn’t know how to approach this case, but when he heard Han Yu’s plan, it dawned on him and he immediately stood up:

"Zhiqiang, you take care of visiting the recycling points and transformer manufacturers in Linghai and Dongqi, and I’ll handle the situations Salted Fish just mentioned."

"Okay, I’ll head back to the squad now."

"Second Brother, it’s pouring rain outside..."

"The stolen items were five drainage transformers; the municipal leaders are focusing on this. Even if it rains knives, I must go and investigate immediately."

As the leader of the Criminal Investigation Team, Fang Zhiqiang felt immense pressure in a case of such high value and adverse impact occurring within his jurisdiction. He left right away, not even stopping for dinner.

Old Ding did the same, braving the rain to gather information at the power station.

With his old unit in trouble, Han Yu couldn’t stand idly by. He quickly used a satellite phone to contact Jia Yongqiang and asked him to organize a team for the investigation.

Actually, it was possible to contact him using a VHF radio as well, but that wouldn’t be secure. The phone aboard the dunship was out of service, forcing him to use the very expensive satellite phone.

At twenty to nine in the evening, the city leaders and officials from the Water Resources Bureau, Agricultural Bureau, and Transportation Bureau eventually returned.

Not only the command room and the small meeting room next door were requisitioned, but also the radio station and satellite phones.

The electric rice cooker and gas stove on the dunship were too small to cook meals for so many people.

As Han Yu wondered what to feed the leaders that night, Old Zhang whispered, "Old Qian, we don’t need to cook. Four Factory Town Government has arranged for meals, asking Bailong Port Restaurant to prepare and deliver them."

Old Qian was about to respond when Xiao Yu chuckled quietly: "The leaders saw that our boat had cigarettes, water, instant noodles, sausages, and cookies, they bought a lot just now."

"So your dad’s trip wasn’t a waste then?"

"Of course not, this is for official business. Purchases are separate, and fuel expenses are separate. I just asked the guy with glasses; he said Director Zhang could write a proof, and he would help with the reimbursement."

Han Yu laughed and scolded: "We’re busy with flood prevention, do you know how many party cadres and basic civilian soldiers are out there on the dykes and at those drainage outlets? While everyone is fighting the disaster, you actually have the nerve to ask for fuel money."

Xiao Yu chuckled boldly and justified: "They are involved in flood control, but my family doesn’t own fields on the banks, what’s it to us?"

"You don’t have fields, but you have a building on the riverbank, aren’t you afraid it might get flooded?"

"That’s true."

"So, you can’t just look out for your own interests. Besides, you’re a party member now."

"Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you and won’t ask for reimbursement."

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