Lesco detects 442 illegal connections in five districts

LAHORE: The Lahore Electric Supply Company has detected 442 connections from where customers were pilfering electricity in all its circles of five districts (Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur and Okara) on the 21st day of a grand anti-power theft campaign.

The Lesco spokesman told media here on Wednesday the company had also far submitted FIR applications against 439 electricity thieves, out of which 269 FIRs were registered in respective police stations, while 57 accused were arrested.

Grand anti-power theft operations against electricity thieves are being conducted on the directives of the Federal Power Division and LESCO Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Engineer Shahid Haider is supervising these operations.

The Lesco chief vowed that the operations would continue without discrimination until the complete end of electricity theft. Electricity pilferers as well as Lesco officers and employees who facilitate them are being brought to justice.

On the 21st consecutive day (Sept 27) of the anti-power theft campaign, the spokesman added, large agricultural and commercial consumers were found involved in electricity theft and all of them were charged with detection units. Among the seized connections were one industrial, 12 commercial and 429 domestic, and all these connections were disconnected and charged with a total of 727,091 units as detection bill amounting to Rs 37.283 million.

He explained that the Lesco charged Rs 1.2 million as detection bill from an electricity pilferer in Ferozewala. Rs 500,000 fine in the form of detection bill was imposed on another customer stealing electricity in Aziz Colony, Wandala Road; Rs 500,000 fine was imposed on Baba Bakery, Wandala Road; and Rs 480,298 fine was imposed as detection bill on an electricity thief at Jambar Mor, Multan Road.

During 21 days, the spokesman said, the Lesco detected pilferage on 8,832 power connections and submitted 8,727 FIR applications against electricity thieves in relevant police stations out of which 7,417 FIRs had been registered, while 1,240 accused had so far been arrested. The Lesco has so far charged 19,351,136 detection units worth Rs 864,445 million.