The suspect
A 24-year-old unemployed young man, Michael Ofori aka Sammy, has been remanded into prison custody by the Weija Circuit Court, for stealing and causing unlawful damage to fuses fixed in the electricity distribution panels, belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana, Ltd. (ECG).
A document filed before the court estimates the value of the fuses as GH₵15,840.00.
He has been charged with two counts of causing unlawful damage and stealing. He has pleaded not guilty to all three counts.
His Honour Joshua Caleb Abaidoo, the presiding Judge remanded him into prison custody and adjourned the case to November 27, 2024.
The prosecutor, Inspector Joseph Barabu, told the court that on November 15, 2024, at about 5am, the complainant in the case, Mohammed Ibrahim, spotted the accused person within the fence of ECG’s transformer and distribution panel at Ayigbe Town, removing fuses from the panel with a plier.
The accused, according to the prosecution, narrowly escaped from the scene upon seeing the complainant, leaving behind his booty and tools used for the operation.
The complainant subsequently called the ECG office at Bortianor to alert them of the incident and handed over the items to them.
The court heard that the Complainant chanced on the accused person the following day and instigated his immediate arrest.
Accused was sent to the New Weija police station, where he was rearrested and interrogated.
Upon interrogation, the accused confessed to removing 12 fuses from the distribution panel.
Michael Ofori, according to a court document, also led police to other ECG installations in the area where he had previously broken the locks and stolen unspecified number of fuses.
The court also heard that for some time now, the police at SCC, Weija have received several reports of thefts of prepaid meters and fuses in electricity distribution panels, belonging to ECG.
The Police have been collaborating with ECG to search for, and apprehend these criminals.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak