Abuakwa: The Abuakwa Divisional Police Command has apprehended a 31-year-old man accused of stealing prepaid meters from customers. The suspect was initially captured by residents of Abuakwa Agogo Newsite and subsequently handed over to the police for further investigation.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. George Amoah, Ashanti West Regional Manager of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), disclosed that the suspect, residing in Sepaase in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality, would move between locations to commit the thefts. In some cases, the suspect reportedly replaced stolen meters with counterfeit post-paid meters and installed the stolen ones for customers, allowing them to consume electricity without charge. This illicit activity adversely impacted ECG's revenue collection as it went unnoticed by the company.
Victims of the stolen meters faced the inconvenience of lodging police complaints and incurring costs for meter replacements at the ECG. Mr. Amoah highlighted that many customers had been visiting ECG offices to report stolen meters, which added stress as they needed to obtain police reports and pay for replacements.
In response to the rising incidents of meter theft, ECG intensified public education efforts to raise awareness, which proved effective. The company is also collaborating with security services to curb such illegal activities, which have resulted in significant losses for both the company and citizens.
Mr. Amoah praised the residents for their vigilance leading to the suspect's arrest and urged citizens to continue supporting efforts to prevent illegal activities like power theft, meter theft, and vandalism of transformers impacting the ECG.
