Police in Nyamasheke District are holding two men, who were arrested following investigations into the spate of vandalising and stealing prepaid electricity meters, cash-power, from houses in Karongi District.

The suspects, identified as Alexis Bikorimana, 36, and Vencent Habimana, 27, were arrested on Thursday in Rubina Village in Kirimbi Sector.

The District Police Commander, Ntacy Burahinda, said the arrest of the duo followed investigations into separate theft cases in the neighbouring Karongi where five prepaid meters were stolen in a space of a week.

All the electricity meters were stolen from houses in Kanyinya Village of Ngoma Cell in Nyarusange Sector in Karongi. Also affected in this theft was Ngoma Cell offices.

"When a crime occurs in one district, all neighbouring district police units are in most cases alerted to ensure that the roaming suspect(s) are arrested or stolen items are intercepted,” Burahinda said.

"In that spirit, we were alerted on the spate of theft of cashpower in the neighbouring district of Karongi and during investigations, we arrested Habimana and Bikorimana red-handed as they were looking for a buyer for the fifth meter, which had been stolen the previous day in the same area in Karongi,” he added.

"We have since located and recovered all the five meters, which had been sold and installed on other houses in Nyamasheke. We have also contacted victims through Police in Karongi about the recovery of their cash-power meters.”

Police are also searching for a so-called technician who was hacking and manipulating the prepaid electricity meters before installing them on other people’s houses.

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