A man has assaulted a staff of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) in the Ashanti South unit for disconnecting the water supply to his home at Bronikrom near Abrepo in the Ashanti region.
The customer, identified as Kobby, owed the company about GHS500, prompting the victim to disconnect the water supply to the home.
Kobby then confronted the worker about the water supply disconnecting from the house.
Despite explaining that he was mandated to do so, Kobby reportedly locked up the staff in the gated compound house and physically assaulted him.
The GWCL staff, who was left with injuries to his back and waist, placed a distress call to the office asking for help.
Other GWCL staff members, together with police officers from Suntreso, quickly moved in to rescue him.
The suspect has since been arrested while the victim is receiving treatment at the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the GWCL in the Ashanti region, Ebenezer Padi Narh, said that their workers, especially meter readers, are living in fear.
However, he said the company was ready to take on any customer who interfered with its operations while assuring the safety of its workers.
Mr Narh said such behaviour could affect the operational cycle of the company.
“They are in fear. Management is always ready to assist them in dealing with recalcitrant customers who would want to attack them or impede their operations. This is something we will not take lightly,” he said.
In September 2023, another worker suffered assault at the hands of a woman after he disconnected the water supply to her residence in Koforidua in the Eastern region.
A video of the angry woman holding the official by the neck area of his long-sleeve shirt and dragging him around amid orders that he restore the water supply to her house circulated online.
The helpless officer was seen in the video struggling fruitlessly to free himself from the woman’s firm grip while vowing not to reconnect the water supply.
Some bystanders later came to his rescue.