A Chinese woman was on Wednesday arraigned before a Mavoko court on suspicion of stealing transformers.
Luo Minghui, an employee at Athi River based Export Processing Zone (EPZ) denied the charges and was released on a Sh1 million cash bail.
Mavoko principal magistrate Eunice Kimaiyo also ordered Minghui's passport and travel documents be detained by the police pending investigations.
The case will be mentioned on June 22, this year. She was arrested at the weekend by detectives investigating rampant cases of vandalism on electricity towers and sub-stations.
Following a tip-off, the officers raided Jinxin Commercial Ltd, a scrap metal go-down in Athi River and found an assortment of copper and aluminum scrap metals believed to have been vandalised from power lines and sub-stations.
The accused had allegedly exported 10 tonnes of copper in the last two weeks worth Sh8 million.
Zachary Mwangi, officer in charge of Energy Police Unit, said the suspect and her accomplices smelt the copper wires and aluminum into blocks before moving it to a container at the Nairobi ICD depot to avoid police detection.
The change sheet indicated that between April 30, 2023 and June 13, 2023, Minghui together with others not in court stole 350 metres of copper being the property of Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO).
The copper is said to be worth Sh700,000. Minghui who was represented by lawyer Cecil Miller, was also charged with handling stolen property contrary to section 322 of the penal code.
