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A-23-YEAR-OLD painter was electrocuted when he attempted to steal high tension overhead electric cables at Sakumono in Tema. The deceased, who was later identified by the father as Joshua Hehodzi, a painter, was found dead with a cutter, mobile phone and sandals lying around him. He was said to have gone to the area with his accomplice, Kofi Hede, a 28-year-old mason who is currently in the grips of the Sakumono District Police Command. The District Commander, Superintendent Alex C. Wowolo, told Daily Guide that on June 4, 2011, his outfit received a report, at about 6:30am, about a lifeless body at Coastal Estate on the Spintex Road in Accra. A team of policemen were quickly deployed to the scene, where Joshua was found dead, with the said items lying beside him. A ladder he allegedly used to climb the electric pole was also found. The commander noted that while investigations were underway, the East Legon Police, on June 9, 2011, arrested Kofi, who was identified as an intimate friend of Joshua�s. He added that the two conspired, prior to Joshua�s death, to steal the high tension cables. Joshua, according to Superintendent Wowolo, upon reaching the area, climbed one of the electric poles with a ladder to cut the cables, while Kofi was on the lookout. Kofi was said to have bolted after realising that his colleague was dead following his fall from the electric pole. The East Legon Police arrested Kofi after they received information that he went to call Joshua on the dawn of the day he died and that the deceased did not return home until his corpse was found and identified, and his father contacted. Upon interrogations, Kofi admitted to conspiring with Joshua to steal, but explained that Joshua was electrocuted when he attempted to cut one of the electric cables with a cutter. Superintendent Wowolo continued that the suspect would be arraigned after investigations into the matter had concluded. The corpse of the deceased has since been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue in Accra, pending autopsy. Superintendent Wowolo said the activities of such criminals caused much discomfort to residents. The commander has appealed to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to evacuate all squatters who reside in and around the Trassaco Estate, as well as demolish all unauthorized structures that are allegedly the homes of miscreants. He advised residents of Sakumono and its environs to take safety precautions by making sure all their sliding doors and windows were locked and safeguarded with burglar proofs, before sleeping.