Fake ECG Staff taking ‘illegal connection’ bribes arrested

The Ashanti regional branch of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has arrested 38-year-old Richard Appiah for posing as a staff of the company and defrauding unsuspecting customers, MyNewsGh.com can report.

Appiah’s modus operandi as confirmed by the police to MyNewsGh.com would usually accuse the company’s clients of illegally connecting electric power and then blackmail them into paying varying amounts of cash.

Mr. Erasmus Kyere Baidoo, the Ashanti Regional Public Relations Manager of ECG said the suspect used to work with Ghana electronics and was sacked two months ago for stealing electricity metres has never been staff of ECG. He however allegedly goes around presenting himself as ECG worker.

The PR manager says he goes around on an ECG branded motorbike.

He narrated how Richard set off Saturday on his usual hideous operations to a pepper mill at Bantama and took out all three phases of the power lines he claimed they were illegally connected to.

According to him, workers in shocked took his phone number and gave it to their boss who was not around at the time to talk to Appiah who initially demanded two thousand Ghana Cedis but later settled on one thousand, nine hundred Cedis after bargaining extensively.

Mr Baidoo went on to disclose how the owner of the pepper mill collaborated with the ECG office to effect Richard’s arrest.

The Public relations manager entreated the general public to be careful in dealing with staff of ECG, advising the public to demand ID cards or look out for ECG branded vehicles before dealing with someone who claims to work with the power company.