An individual was on Wednesday arrested at Pasha’s Scrap Yard in Albouystown in connection with the theft of cable belonging to the Guyana Telephone Telegraph (GTT).
According to a statement from the telephone company, GTT security and law enforcement officers acted upon information received and visited the scrap yard where they apprehended someone who had purchased the 300 meters long cable which was stolen earlier this month at New Hope and Friendship on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), causing more than 400 customers lost both voice and data services.
GTT noted that the arrest followed closely on the heels of an offered reward of $500,000 for information leading to the apprehension of the perpetrator.
The firm’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Justin Nedd has since commended the swift response of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) however he expressed disappointment by the continued acts of vandalism against the fibre infrastructure and copper cables.
At a joint media conference with GTT at the Ministry of Public Telecommunications in July, Minister Catherine Hughes had pledged government’s support for the GTT in apprehending persons who damage GTT infrastructure, pointing out that there were stiff provisions in the law, referencing Section 131 of the Criminal Law Offenses Act Chapter 8:01.
GTT announced the system of cash rewards at the July media conference in a push to ensure that perpetrators of vandalism and theft are no longer able to undermine business and put citizens and public services at risk by bringing down the network for their own nefarious gain.
