An incident that appears to be auditioning for the tower industry fake news columns is actually true. In Ghana yesterday, police arrested three men between the ages of 25 and 35 for stealing backup batteries and copper ground wire.
The thefts are a frequent occurrence in all countries, but the method that the thieves used to obtain smooth passage through various police checkpoints is unique.
Authorities said the men used a State Protocol Office of The President seal on their Nissan Navara pickup to thwart suspicion as they drove away with their base station booty.
A security guard in the Assin North District spotted the Nissan pickup leaving a Glo cell site and upon checking, he realized that the battery backup compartment had been vandalized and 12 batteries were stolen.
He alerted the site engineer and they both hopped in a cab to track the vehicle.
Police were also alerted and the men were stopped at the Hwiremoase checkpoint where they were unsuccessful in bribing officers with a $228 dollar offer.
In 2015, Wireless Estimator reported on a Pretoria, South Africa cell site owned by Vodacom that also lost 12 backup batteries when the thief used another unique vehicle – a bakery truck.
