MAN ARRESTED FOR STEALING OIL FROM TRANSFORMERS (PAGE 18, JUNE 5, 2010)

A middle-aged man suspected to have been stealing oil from electricity transformers in the Sakumono and Parakuo estates, leading to power outages in those areas, has been arrested by the police.
The alleged operation of the suspect, who gave his name only as Yaw, was said to have plunged the Sakumono and Parakuo estates into darkness for six days and cost the nation GH¢26,000.
According to the Nungua District Manager of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Mr Anthony Esiape, the company observed consistent power outages in the Sakumono and Parakuo estates.
He said initial investigations showed that the power outages were due to lack of oil in a transformer located in the Sakumono area but because the ECG had been ensuring that there was always oil in the transformer, there was suspicion that someone was mischievously tampering with the oil.
Mr Esiape said the ECG alerted the residents of those areas, who arrested the suspect, who was allegedly found filling his car with two yellow gallons of oil on Saturday May 29, 2010.
According to Mr Esiape, some of the residents saw the suspect, who allegedly brought eight more gallons from his Opel Kadett car, with registration number GR 9665D, to fill with oil.
He said the residents raised an alarm and two officials of the ECG, Mr Isaac Odai and Jackson Hall, who were called to verify the product, confirmed that it was oil which served as a coolant and insulation for the transformer.
Mr Esiape said the suspect was therefore handed over to the Sakumono police for further investigation.
He said the ECG recently had to replace the transformer at a cost of GH¢26,000 to restore power to the residents because oil which maintained the transformer had been drained off.