Massive illegal power connection...GANG BUSTED...More than 60 houses involved (LEAD STORY, APRIL 20, 2010)

A syndicate engaged in massive illegal power connection has been busted at Mataheko, near Afienya, during a joint swoop by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the police.
More than 60 houses were uncovered to be illegally connected to a private power network with the use of under-sized conductors.
The ECG team, in collaboration with the Afienya Police, arrested a 38-year-old man, Evans Zotorvie Tetteh, in connection with the illegal activity and it is investigating the matter to apprehend the other culprits.
According to the officer in charge of the Afienya Police Station, Inspector Daniel Kofi Tetteh, four other accomplices had been arrested and they are helping the police to uncover the deal and all others involved in it.
He said Zotorvie would be processed for court after the police had exhaustively investigated the case.
Under police escort, the suspect and the ECG team went to Mataheko, where it was discovered that Zotorvie had an improvised meter board placed behind his house, numbered PR/MT/196, from where all the connected clients were served.
Zotorvie claimed that he collected a flat rate of GH¢30 every month from each client.
The Tema Regional Director of the ECG, Mr Felix Fiebor, said Mataheko was a new settlement and had electric power at certain parts, while the rest of the community had an ongoing Ghana Electrical Development and Asset Project to provide power for them.
He said the suspect had his house in the area where there was power but he was disconnected two years ago after failing to pay his bills.
Mr Fiebor said Zotorvie took advantage of the situation and decided to involve others who did not have power to enrich himself.
He said an ECG monitoring team, while on its routine rounds, found the connections with undersized cables unusual, posing danger to lives and property.
He said a closer look made the team observe that the connections had been done illegally.
Mr Fiebor appealed to the public to report any suspicious connections to the ECG for action, noting that some of the fire outbreaks in recent times had been attributed to electrical faults.