Anti-power theft campaign: Lesco detects another 267 power pilferers

LAHORE: The Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) has detected a total of 267 connections from where the customers were pilfering electricity in all its circles of five districts (Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur and Okara) on the 44th of the grand anti-power theft campaign.

The Lesco spokesman told media here Saturday that the company has also submitted FIR applications against 258 electricity thieves, out of which 204 FIRs have been registered in respective police stations, while 28 accused have been arrested. Grand anti-power theft operations against electricity thieves are being conducted on the directives of the Federal Power Division and the 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. The electricity pilferers as well as the Lesco officers and employees who facilitate them are also being brought to justice. On the 44th consecutive day (Oct 21) of the anti-power theft campaign, the spokesman added, large commercial consumers were also found involved in electricity theft and all of them were also disconnected and charged with detection units.

Among the seized connections 15 were commercial, 02 agricultural, 02 industrial and 248 domestic, and all these connections were disconnected and charged with a total of 468,872 units as detection bill amounting to Rs24.704 million. He explained that Lesco charged Rs3.1 million detection bill against 90,000 units to an electricity pilferer in Katar Band area; Rs1.725 million fine in the form of detection bill against 17,000 units to a customer stealing electricity in Mohalla Islamabad Kasur Road; Rs1.470 million detection bill against 11,500 units to a power thief in Sundar area; and Rs0.5 millionn detection bill against 2,545 units to another power thief in Mustafa Town Lahore. During the 44 days of grand anti-theft campaign, the spokesman mentioned, the Lesco detected pilferage on 19,863 power connections and submitted 19,658 FIR applications against electricity thieves in the relevant police stations out of which 18,888 FIRs have been registered, while 6,632 accused have so far been arrested by the police. The Lesco has so far charged a total of 41,431,860 detection units worth Rs1,808,447,353 to all the power pilferers. Meanwhile, Lesco inspection team detected electricity pilferage at six houses owned by Rana Ghulam Abbas in Liaquatabad Sub-Division.

Lesco teams are conducting search operation against electricity thieves, according to a spokesman here on Saturday. He said that SDO Johar Town Fahad Aziz Khan conducted a search operation in the area of Pindi Stop and found that electricity was being stolen at six houses through direct supply from light transmission line. The illegal power supply was disconnected and an FIR against the owner of the houses, Rana Ghulam Abbas and the other accused had been submitted to the area police station. The accused were fined Rs365,000.