Lesco detects 406 power pilferers in 24 hours

LAHORE : Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) has detected a total of 406 connections from where the customers were pilfering electricity in all its circles of five districts (Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur and Okara) on the 141st day of grand anti-power theft campaign.

The Lesco spokesman told media here Sunday that the company has also submitted FIR applications against 405 electricity thieves, out of which 173 FIRs have been registered in respective police stations, while two 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 141st consecutive day 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 13 were commercial, two agricultural, one industrial and 390 domestic, and all these connections were disconnected and charged with a total of 330,607 units as detection bill amounting to Rs9.423 million.

Apprising the media about some major power pilferers, he explained that Lesco charged Rs200,000 detection to an electricity pilferer in Johar Town; Rs175,000 fine in the form of detection bill to a customer stealing electricity in Allahabad; Rs170,000 and Rs130,000 detection bills respectively to two power thieves in Shahdara Town.

During the 141 days of grand anti-theft campaign, the spokesman mentioned, the Lesco detected pilferage on 48,900 power connections and submitted 48,434 FIR applications against electricity thieves in the relevant police stations out of which 45,563 FIRs have been registered, while 17,421 accused have so far been arrested by the police.