Two men in custody for $4M damaged GT&T cables

Aug 19, 2012 News

Two Sophia residents are in police custody after being caught with a large quantity of Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) cables yesterday in the wee hours of the morning at ‘D’ Field, Sophia.
The men were apprehended by the South Turkeyen Policing Group and were taken to the Turkeyen Police Station, where charges are to be instituted and the men are to appear in court on Monday.

Some of the GT&T cables in the compound of Turkeyen Police Station.

The cables which contain 600 lines within, are valued at an estimated $4M, according to GT&T operatives. The cables are from sections eight and nine of ‘B’ Field Sophia where they were severed from a utility pole.
According to reports, the policing group, acting on information, proceeded to a house in ‘D’ Field, Sophia, where the owner of a vehicle (number provided) was confronted and taken to the police station.
The man was taken to the Turkeyen Police Station where it was disclosed that he was the owner of the car which was parked in front of the house where he was arrested.
Upon investigation, the vehicle was taken to the station where a search was carried out; various cutting instruments were found along with ropes, hacksaws and other equipment, which suggested that the vehicle was used to transport the GT&T cables.
Another resident of ‘D’ Field, Sophia, was also held in connection with damaging the GT&T cables.
Copper is being stolen from the cables to facilitate the scrap metal trade, and calls have been made for the government to review the situation so as to assist not only GT&T, but persons in communities affected by these malicious acts.
GT&T officials disclosed that customers whose telephones may have been connected to the destroyed cables would also be affected.
The phone company urged citizens to be vigilant and to immediately report any suspected acts of vandalism of GT&T’s cables and equipment to its ‘Vandalism Hotline” number – 0908.