A gold processing plant in Beaconsfield in Northern Tasmania was the target of an overnight break-in, resulting in around $1.5 million worth of damages.
The incident was reported to the police at around 7:15AM on Sunday morning, with the culprit(s) using a front-end loader stolen from a nearby business to enter the property with the intent of stealing copper wiring.
Upon initial investigations, it was found that the culprit(s) wrapped a chain around the mass of copper cables and attempted to rip them free using the front-end loader.
This caused significant damage to a transformer, resulting in the total loss of around $1.5 million.
“This incident has caused significant damage to a local business, and Tasmania Police are following up a number of avenues of inquiry,” Inspector McMahon said.
Police are appealing to members of the public who saw any suspicious activity in the Beaconsfield area overnight to come forward and contact them on 131444 or report to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestopperstas.com.au.
The public can remain anonymous while reporting any information related to the incident.
Investigations into the matter are ongoing, and the police have not yet made any arrests in connection with the break-in.
