Three arrested for stealing ECG transformer at Adaklu

The Volta Regional Police Command has arrested three suspects for attempting to steal a transformer at Adaklu Tsrefe in the wee hours of Thursday.

They climbed the electric poles, disconnected the transformer and pushed it down.

The suspects are Sitsofe Agbodza, 26; Deladem Kodzo Tsrakasu, 29; and Wahab, 20.

Residents of Adaklu Tsrefe apprehended the suspects and later handed them over to the Volta Regional Police Command for further investigation.

According to the General Manager of ECG in the Volta Region, Christina Jatoe-Kaleo, a hunter from Adaklu Tsrefe, was on his way to the forest when he saw the suspects around the ECG transformer.

The hunter suspected them to be thieves, so he began shooting in the air to scare them.

Community members prevented the suspects from escaping.

“The suspects were later arrested by the police and sent to the Volta Regional Police Headquarters for further investigation,” she added.

Ms Jatoe-Kaleo commended the community for their vigilance and urged the general public to be alert to stop the theft of such ECG equipment.

“As a company, we are committed to providing quality, reliable, and safe electricity services for our customers, but the activities of these individuals prevent us from delivering our core mandate. Once the transformer is stolen, the power supply will be curtailed to customers, affecting businesses, schools, and even hospitals, so we humbly appeal to the general public to assist us in curbing this menace,” she appealed.

“The transformer is the most expensive component in our network, and the value of the damaged transformer at Adaklu Tsrefe by these suspects is GHs104,000 minus labour and other expenses, which we have to replace at our own cost, and this affects our operations as well as our financial health. This new transformer could have been sent to communities without a power supply or even extend power to other areas,” she revealed.

“Lately, people are even stealing the earth wires at our substations and service cables of our customers, which normally result in prolonged outages, so let’s all come together to fight this menace. If you see anyone suspicious working at any ECG substation or facility, kindly report to the nearest police station or ECG via 0302611611,” she added.