Crime & Punishment of Monday, 12 July 2010

Source: GNA

Power outages leads to theft

Goaso (B/A), July 12, GNA - The stealing of electricity cables is on the increase at Goaso in the Asunafo North Municipality, for the past two weeks due to the intermittent power outages by the Electricity Company of Ghana (EGC) in the area.

The thieves have taken advantage of the 'black-outs' during the night to undertake their nefarious activities. A number of service cables in many houses as well as hair dressing salons, and tailoring and mechanical shops have been removed from the low tension poles.

Madam Yaa Tawiah, 87, a landlady at Goaso Amsterdam and her grand-daughter Faustina Duku, a hairdresser, had their service cables cut off during last Friday's power outage. Explaining her ordeal to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Goaso, Madam Tawiah said the lights went off around 11:30pm on that day until 8:30 am the following day.

Madam Tawiah said when power was restored she realized that there was no service to her house.

Accordingly she was prompted to check the service line, since her grand-daughter Duku on a previous occasion when power went off, had the cable connected to her kiosk removed.

The landlady said during inspection she found out that a 40-metre service cable that linked her house and the low tension pole had been cut away.

Madam Tawiah appealed to the ECG to inform consumers before any power outage.

Meanwhile a number of reports have been made to the Goaso police about the situation and similar reports are also being made to the Police at Mim, Kukuom and Kenyasi.