A 25-year-old labourer was found guilty of stealing water meters owned by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and sentenced to six months in prison with hard labour by the Ashaiman District Court.
Derrick Parden chaired the court. Samuel Kpomble admitted stealing, but Eshun found him guilty.
According to the case facts, on August 21, 2024, at around 1:00 pm, inhabitants of Golf City in the Kpone-Katamanso Municipality detained the labourer and another person who is presently at large for stealing GWCL water meters.
After an inquiry, he was turned over to the Golf City Police and charged in court.
The Ghana News Agency was informed by Mr. Sampson Ampah, the GWCL’s Tema Regional Communications Manager, that the area had seen more than 500 thefts of meters during the previous three months.
According to excerpts from the police, Mr. Ampah added, the consumers reported the occurrences and asked for replacements.
He clarified that all of the components being installed, including the safety valve and stopcock, were plastic, including the current meters.
“We are, therefore, appealing to the scrap dealers to desist from buying any GWCL meters from any person,” he said.
He added that “the issue is really alarming and also considering the fact that we have to replace these meters to our customers at a cost to GWCL.”
He urged everyone to exercise caution and alert the authorities to any suspicious activity pertaining to water meter theft.
Source: GNA