LAHORE:The Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) detected a total of 8,216 connections from where the customers were pilfering electricity in all its circles during 18 days of grand anti-power theft operations.
The LESCO spokesman told the media here Sunday that the company had so far submitted FIR applications against 7,566 electricity thieves, out of which 6,253 FIRs have been registered in respective police stations, while 499 accused have been arrested.
The spokesman said that all the electricity thieves have been charged so far with 17,641,120 detection units amounting to Rs 771.857 million.
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 18th consecutive day (Sept. 24) of anti-power theft campaign, the spokesman added, LESCO found 462 connections involved in electricity theft in all its circles and also submitted FIR application against 460 electricity thieves in the respective police stations, out of which 203 FIRs have been registered while 21 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 were 01 industrial, 19 commercial, 03 agricultural and 439 domestic, and all these connections were disconnected and charged with a total of 722,375 units as detection bill amounting to Rs 37,879,488.
On the 18th day of anti-power theft operation, the LESCO charged 10,000 detection units worth Rs 01 million to an agricultural connection in Baseerpur; 9,800 detection units of Rs 700,000 to a commercial connection on Nazimpura Road Sheikhupura; 13,683 detection units worth Rs 424,203 to another agricultural connection in village Wandala Nasir Muridke; and 4,729 units worth Rs 400,000 to a customer of domestic category stealing electricity directly from transmission line in Tanki Wali Gali, Ferozwala.