LESCO detects 451 power pilferers

Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) detected a total of 451 connections from where the customers were pilfering electricity in all its circles of five districts (Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur and Okara) on the 27th day of the grand anti-power theft campaign. The LESCO spokesman told media here Wednesday that the company has also submitted FIR applications against 450 electricity thieves, out of which 206 FIRs have been registered in respective police stations, while 63 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 27th consecutive day (Oct. 04) of anti-power theft campaign, the spokesman added, 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, 17 commercial, 08 agricultural and 425 domestic, and all these connections were disconnected and charged with a total of 975,689 units as detection bill amounting to Rs 40.049 million. He explained that LESCO charged Rs 550,240 as detection bill to an electricity pilferer in Raiwind area; Rs 520,500 fine in the form of detection bill to another customer stealing electricity in Baddoke area; Rs 458,590 detection bill against 8,338 units to a power thief in Baghbanpura area of Lahore; and Rs 456,780 as detection bill against 14,670 units to an electricity thief in Saddar area of Sheikhupura. During the 27 days of grand anti-theft campaign, the spokesman mentioned, the LESCO detected pilferage on 12,570 power connections and submitted 12,468 FIR applications.