Twenty-one people, including seven women, have been arrested in Kumasi for illegal connection of electricity.

They were picked up in separate operations by the Electricity Company of Ghana in the Danyame and Suame Districts.

Seventeen consumers at Danyame who together owe the ECG over 200, 000 Ghana cedis restored supply to themselves after they were disconnected.

According to the ECG District Manager at Danyame, Harrison Musah Yakubu, the area monthly consumption should have decrease because of the numerous disconnection made.

But the sales keep rising, an indication that many people have illegally restored power to themselves.

“The exercise has proved customers are not making any efforts to pay. They rather look for electricians to put them back on the national grid,” he stated.

Electricity consumers at Danyame alone owe ECG about 18 million Ghana cedis in bills covering the period between 2014 and now.

Mr. Musah Yakubu is alarmed the figure is rising in the face of the current load shedding.

“One hundred and eighty are disconnected everyday but we have realized that, in our disconnection exercise the debt stock is not reducing,” he says.

Meanwhile, the culprits would be made to pay their debts in addition to penalty and reconnection fee of face prosecution.