LAHORE: The Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) detected 417 illegal connections involved in electricity theft across Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur and Okara on Saturday as part of its ongoing anti-power theft campaign.

A Lesco spokesperson said the company had filed applications for FIRs against the electricity thieves, resulting in the registration of 159 FIRs at local police stations. So far, 19 suspects have been arrested.

Among the identified illegal connections, one belonged to an industrial consumer, 13 to commercial users, eight to agricultural properties, and 395 were domestic connections.

All these connections were disconnected, and the culprits were charged for 293,249 units of electricity, translating into a detection bill of Rs 12.972 million.

The spokesperson added that Lesco also recovered Rs 3.061 million from 211 chronic defaulters during the same 24-hour period across the five districts.

To address consumer complaints more efficiently, Lesco has initiated a series of open Kachehry (public hearings) across the region.

On Wednesday, the company received 1,151 complaints, out of which 1,146 were resolved on the spot.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2024