A 24-year-old jobless man has been placed under remand in prison custody by the Weija Circuit Court for stealing and illegally damaging fuses on electricity distribution panels owned by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ltd.
It is estimated that the fuses are worth GH¢15,840. Two charges of unlawful damage and theft were brought against Michael Ofori, also referred to as Sammy.
He will be back in court on November 27, 2024, having entered a guilty plea to the allegation of unauthorized damage but not guilty of theft. Joshua Caleb Abaidoo is the person presiding over the case.
According to the prosecution, which was led by Police Inspector Joseph Barabu, Mohammed Ibrahim, the complainant in the case, saw the accused inside the fence of ECG’s transformer and distribution panel in Ayigbe Town on November 15 at around five in the morning. He claimed to be using pliers to remove fuses from the panel.
The prosecution claims that after spotting the complainant, the accused barely fled the area, abandoning his equipment and booty.
After that, the complainant gave the things to the Bortianor ECG office and called them to report the occurrence. The next day, the complainant happened to come see the accused and promptly ordered his arrest, the prosecution added.
The defendant was taken to the New Weija Police Station, where he was arrested again and subjected to questioning. The defendant is accused of confessing to taking 12 fuses out of the distribution panel during the interrogation.
The suspect allegedly guided authorities to further nearby ECG installations where he had previously broken locks and taken an unknown quantity of fuses.
The court was informed that the police at the SCC, Weija, had been receiving multiple reports of prepayment meter and fuse thefts from ECG’s energy distribution panels for a while.
Source: Adomonline