TAXILA: During a crackdown against the electricity theft in the rural and urban areas of Attock district, the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) on Friday detected 137 power pilferers and handed them over to police for legal action.

Iesco has so far registered 155 cases of power theft in the district and the action against the power thieves is being carried out under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner Rao Atif Ali.

Talking to the newsmen, the deputy commissioner said the authorities had caught consumers stealing electricity by tampering with meters and wires directly. In one incident, he said, a barber in Attock City was caught red-handed as he was stealing electricity by installing direct wires and removing the electrical installations.

In another incident, he said, a domestic consumer was found utilising electricity through a direct connection. Similarly, three consumers were arrested in Hazro for electricity theft and a fine worth Rs360,000 was recovered. Five power pilfers had already been sent behind bars.

The teams were led by the sub-divisional officers in different areas of Attock, Hazro and Hassanabdal tehsils.

On this occasion, Iesco’s Executive Engineer Babar Ali termed cooperation of provincial authorities essential for controlling electricity theft and making recoveries from defaulters. He mentioned that electricity theft and the non-payment of dues not only affected the financial affairs of the company but also had wider economic implications, including increase in tariff.

He said despite the efforts of the staff, there were many challenges in preventing electricity theft.

The police have registered separate cases against the culprits under Section 26-A of the Electricity Act 1920.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2023