Purchaser of stolen GTT cable held in scrap yard

A purchaser of stolen Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) cable was apprehended by law enforcement officers at Pasha’s Scrap Yard in Albouystown on Wednesday night.

A release from GTT yesterday said that the arrest came closely on the heels of an offered reward of $500,000 for information leading to the apprehension of the perpetrator.

GTT said that only last week, on September 12 and 13, 300 meters of cable were stolen at New Hope and Friendship on the East Bank of Demerara respectively. After the cable was cut and removed more than 400 customers lost both voice and data services.

Within a day of that theft, GTT said that information was received in response to the reward offer.

The information led GTT Security and law enforcement officers to Pasha’s Scrap Yard in Albouystown where the purchaser of the stolen cable was apprehended around 10.30 pm.

GTT CEO Justin Nedd was yesterday morning in high praise of the swift response of the Guyana Police Force. Nedd said, “While we remain disheartened by the continued acts of vandalism against our fibre infrastructure and theft of copper cable, we are heartened by the swift response of the police once we had received the information.”

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.