LUCKNOW, Feb. 20 -- A group of men allegedly posed as power department employees, dismantled a live 400 KV transformer in Rai Enclave on Chinhat Deva Road, and made off with nearly 300 kg of copper worth around Rs 11 lakh, plunging 200-300 residents into darkness for an entire night. The alleged theft took place around midnight between Wednesday and Thursday, when the 5-6 men arrived in cars, dismantled transformer and threw it into an adjoining field before fleeing. Around 400 kg of transformer oil was also spilt on the ground during the operation, sources said. Residents initially suspected a technical fault when power went out. It was only around 5:00 a.m. that the damage and missing equipment confirmed the theft. Dinesh Chandra Mishra, SHO Chinhat, said an FIR has been registered under theft charges and police are scanning CCTV footage to identify the accused. Susheel Garg, Gomti Nagar chief engineer, confirmed that the SDO and JE were dispatched to the site upon receiving information and directed the filing of an FIR. Power House Shivpuri, under the Gomti Nagar Zone, arranged a trolley transformer to restore the supply. Officials believe the theft was carried out by a well-organised gang with working knowledge of electrical systems. A junior engineer investigating a similar theft in December said thieves are increasingly targeting newly commissioned transformers, operating at night to avoid detection. The incident is not isolated. Transformers at Shivpuri Power House in Gomti Nagar and the Salempur Pataura area near the FCI substation have also allegedly been targeted in recent months, with copper parts and oil stolen in multiple incidents. Garg said the department has planned tighter surveillance and coordination with police....