LAHORE: The Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco), assisted by Pakistan Rangers and police, on Sunday uncovered a major case of electricity theft at Ludhekay village.

According to a senior Lesco official, the team had received a tip-off about illegal connections being used at a furnace mill and a poultry farm by what they described as habitual electricity thieves. Upon arriving at the site, the Lesco team found the culprits stealing power directly from the main 11kV distribution line by hooking into it.

When the Lesco staff disconnected the illegal supply, the accused opened fire on them and took a Lesco official hostage. Alerted to the situation, senior Lesco officers coordinated with Rangers and police, who quickly reached the scene. The law enforcement personnel safely rescued the hostage and later arrested 12 people involved in the theft. Weapons were also recovered from the suspects.

Additionally, Lesco officials dismantled two transformers of 400kVA and 25kVA capacity and issued a detection bill of Rs80 million as a penalty for the stolen electricity.

Speaking to Dawn, Lesco Chief Executive Officer Ramzan Butt, who was present at the scene along with law enforcement teams, said, “The firing from the accused was the kind one usually sees in wartime situations. This is the third generation of criminals involved in power theft — their fathers and grandfathers were also stealing electricity. We can safely say they are professional electricity thieves.”

Meanwhile, Lesco teams managed to fully restore electricity supply in Lahore and surrounding districts following a major breakdown caused by a thunderstorm. According to the Lesco management, the storm led to a significant failure in the 500kV transmission system of the National Grid Company (formerly National Transmission & Despatch Company, NTDC), resulting in the tripping of around 2,300 feeders — nearly the entire Lesco network — as several 132kV grid stations shut down one after another.

At a late-night press briefing on Saturday, Mr Butt said Lesco had declared an emergency, mobilising all field formations, stores and related offices to ensure power restoration as quickly as possible. “We gradually energised the affected grid stations and feeders to bring electricity back to the city,” he told journalists.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2025