188,800 booked for electricity theft

LAHORE:A video link meeting was held at the Central Police Office under the chairmanship of Inspector General Police Punjab Dr Usman Anwar.

Additional IG Operations Punjab, Shahzada Sultan, gave a detailed briefing regarding cases of electricity theft and fencing theft around motorways. The progress of various development projects, including the under-construction Smart Police Stations in Lahore and other districts of the province, was also reviewed. Amendments and additional points to the "Key Performance Indicators" for all regions and districts of Punjab were discussed. Additional IG Operations Punjab, Shahzada Sultan, in his briefing to IG Punjab, said that during the ongoing campaign against electricity theft, 188,800 cases have been registered against the accused, over 183,120 electricity thieves have been arrested and 6,241 have been declared absconders. Regarding fencing theft around motorways, 212 accused have been arrested and 203 cases have been registered. Fencing worth millions of rupees was recovered from the possession of the arrested culprits. IG Punjab instructed the officers that the criminals who cause losses to the national exchequer are not entitled to any concessions, and police teams should continue to provide full support to the electricity companies in the crackdown against electricity theft. IG Punjab further emphasized that swift action should be taken against theft of fencing around motorways. Strict legal action should be taken against the owners of factories involved in purchasing stolen fencing. For the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy, targeted search and sweep operations under the supervision of SDPOs should continue. Foolproof security arrangements should be made for players, match officials, and spectators during the Champions Trophy matches.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Punjab Police stated that a circular has been issued seeking lists of officers and officials interested in participating in the Judo Jiu-Jitsu Championship and the National Games 2025. A training camp for the selected athletes will be organized at Police Lines Qila Gujjar Singh, where coaches will provide training to the selected athletes. These athletes will then be eligible to participate in the Judo Jiu-Jitsu Championship and the National Games 2025.