The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) says that nine persons were arrested in the Diamond Housing Scheme following a series of raids after residents’ frequent complaints of voltage fluctuations.

In a press release GPL said its internal audit fraud squad; accompanied by the officers from the Golden Grove Police station recently executed the raids in the area, “a known hotbed of rampant illegal connections.” This latest foray was galvanised by a large number of complaints from residents about low and fluctuating voltages and of finding “strange wires passing through their properties at ground level.” The raids focused on combing the ground to unearth and root out as many illegal wires as could be found. GPL said all electricity structures including poles, were examined for direct illegal connections and every illegal connection was severed and the wires discarded as it found that consumers have continued to steal electricity using a variety of unsuitable wires which they attach directly to the company’s distribution networks.

The company said the fraud squad cleared away a haul that included polythene, telephone cable, domestic wires, music speaker wires and pieces of appliance leads (cords). These wires were extricated from bushes, from underground, trenches and waterways. Some of the wires were laid in a haphazard network in pastures and open spaces where children play. The squad also found a large quantity of exposed (uninsulated) wires running across roadways and pathways.

GPL said the prevalence of these illegal wires indicate that residents insist on putting themselves, families and neighbours in danger just to avoid the process of applying for their own legitimate electricity service and to bypass paying the capital contribution required under the Unserved Areas Electrification Programme.

The company said it has not relaxed the position taken almost a year ago to bring perpetrators of this practice to justice. These raids are to reduce the significant loss of revenue to the company due to illegal connections and to ensure that persons can live and traverse safely in their communities.

The company said this year it intensified its campaign against persons who make use of illegal connections. Similar raids have been scheduled for communities where the incidence of illegal connections is extremely high. These include Sophia and Sparendaam. A “return” exercise has been planned for areas along the east and west coast, East Bank Demerara and Berbice.

The nine accused were placed on station bail and the cases are being prepared for trial.