Lesco detects 409 power pilferers

LAHORE:Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has detected a total of 409 connections from where the customers were pilfering electricity in all its circles of five districts (Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur and Okara) on the 161st day of grand anti-power theft campaign.

Lesco spokesman told the media here on Tuesday the company have also submitted FIR applications against electricity thieves, out of which 156 FIRs have been registered in respective police stations. 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 161st 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 14 were commercial, 01 agricultural and 394 domestic, and all these connections were disconnected and charged with a total of 341,037 units as detection bill amounting to Rs11.487 million. Apprising the media about some major power pilferers, he explained that Lesco charged Rs500,000 detection bill to an electricity pilferer in Al-Kareem Garden; Rs300,000 detection bills to another power pilferer in Manawan area, and Rs300,000 fine in the form of detection bills each to two customers stealing electricity in area of Batapur.

During the 161 days of the grand anti-theft campaign, the spokesman mentioned, the Lesco detected pilferage on 55,367 power connections and 51,066 FIRs have been registered against electricity thieves in the relevant police stations, while 17,604 accused have so far been arrested by the police. The Lesco has so far charged a total of 74,707,927 detection units worth Rs2,865,134,570 to all the power pilferers.