LAHORE: Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) detected a total of 19,275 connections from where the customers were pilfering electricity in all its circles of five districts – Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur and Okara – during 42 days of grand anti-power theft campaign.
The LESCO spokesman told media here Thursday that the company has so far submitted FIR applications against 19,113 electricity thieves, out of which 18,237 FIRs have been registered in respective police stations, while 6,478 accused have been arrested. The spokesman said that all the electricity thieves have been charged so far with 38,882,635 detection units amounting to Rs 1,762,804,145.
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. 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 42nd consecutive day (October 19) of anti-power theft campaign, the spokesman added, LESCO found 372 connections involved in electricity theft in all its circles and also submitted FIR application against 370 electricity thieves in the respective police stations, out of which 208 FIRs have been registered while 29 accused have been arrested. During the operation, he said, large agricultural and 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 16 were commercial, 04 agricultural, 01 industrial and 351 domestic, and all these connections were disconnected and charged with a total of 568,423 units as detection bill amounting to Rs 31,720,335.
On the 42nd day of anti-power theft operation, the LESCO charged 20,960 detection units worth Rs 1.048 million to a connection in Shahdara area of Lahore; 10,000 detection units of Rs 0.9 million to another connection in Misry Shah Lahore; 26,498 detection units worth Rs 0.821 million to a power pilferer in Mandi Usman Wala, Kasur; and 1,200 detection units of Rs 750,000 to a power thief in Mozang Lahore.