A suspected high tension cable thief narrowly escaped lynching at Awutu Okwampa after being caught red-handed attempting to steal the remaining cables that serve the community.

The young man, believed to be in his late 30s, was arrested by enraged residents, stripped naked, and tied to the very electricity pole he had climbed to carry out the theft.

According to police sources, over one kilometre of high-tension cables had been stolen from the area three weeks prior, plunging the Awutu Okwampa community and its neighbouring towns into darkness.

With the power outage affecting daily life, tensions had been rising among the residents.

On the night of his arrest, the suspect allegedly returned to steal the remaining cables, but vigilant locals quickly apprehended him.

He was subjected to severe beatings before being tied to the pole as a warning to others.

In an interview with Adom News, Kwabena Abbey, an opinion leader in the Awutu Okwampa community, appealed to authorities to intervene and restore electricity to the area.

He also called for increased security to prevent further thefts that continue to disrupt the community’s power supply.