Ex-serviceman booked for assaulting 2 DHBVN contractual employees

A 58-year-old ex-serviceman in Gurugram, India, was booked for allegedly assaulting two employees of the power company and threatening them with a pistol. The man was reportedly drawing electricity illegally from a damaged live wire. The incident was captured on CCTV and the suspect has been booked for obstructing public servants, causing hurt, criminal intimidation, and possession of a weapon.

A 58-year-old ex-serviceman was booked for allegedly assaulting two contractual employees of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (DHBVN) and threatening them with a pistol when they tried to repair a damaged live wire at Devilal Colony in Sector-9, police officers aware of the matter said on Monday.

Police said the accused allegedly used to draw electricity from the damaged live wire for his own household. (Representative image)

The accused allegedly used to draw electricity from the damaged live wire for his own household, police added.

Police said the incident took place on Sunday morning when the employees, Bhola Ram and Manoj Kumar, reached the spot to address a complaint, filed by a resident Manohar Kumar, that his wife received an electric shock from a naked live wire in front of his residence.

As per police, when the duo started working, the ex-serviceman, who is the immediate neighbour of Kumar, asked them not to carry out the repairs. When they ignored his words and continued working, a heated argument broke out between them.

Police said that suddenly the accused and a few others from his residence pelted the employees with stones, thereby injuring them.

The suspect later went inside his residence and returned with a pistol and threatened the employees with dire consequences, which forced them to leave the spot.

As per police, it later came to light that the suspect used to illegally draw electricity from the damaged portion of the wire, and has already been booked in at least two cases of power theft. Police said that the entire incident was captured in a CCTV camera installed near the spot.

Subhash Boken, the public relations officer of Gurugram Police, said they were yet to arrest the ex-serviceman, the prime suspect in the case. “Only after arrest, it will become clear if it was a licenced pistol,” he said.

On Ram’s complaint, an FIR was registered against the ex-serviceman under sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of his public functions), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and Arms Act at Sector-9A police station on Sunday evening.

A DHBVN official, asking not to be named, said that the discom was aware about the incident. “We will examine the electricity connection at the suspect’s house to find out if he is still involved in power theft,” he said.