7.6kW power theft uncovered at SP leader’s residence in Bareilly
Executive engineer Vipul Kumar Jain said that ACs were being powered by illegal connections, and electricity to the shops was being routed through the house meter. A technical assessment revealed that 7.626 kW of electricity was stolen.
The electricity department claimed to have uncovered power theft to the tune of 7.6 kilowatt at the residence of a Samajwadi Party (SP) leader in Bareilly on Monday. Officials described it as the biggest electricity theft detected during a day-long campaign.
The case came to the fore in Uncha village of Faridpur at the house of Samajwadi Party’s district vice-president Mohd Tariq, also known as Tariq Little, who resides there with his brother Sabiuddin. During inspection, the enforcement team discovered illegal connections (locally known as katia) to power air-conditioners and supply electricity to nearby shops from the residential connection, officials said.
Executive engineer Vipul Kumar Jain said that ACs were being powered by illegal connections, and electricity to the shops was being routed through the house meter. A technical assessment revealed that 7.626 kW of electricity was stolen. Officials said that when the team reached there for inspection, Sabiuddin engaged in a heated argument with them and resisted the action, prompting them to call police.
Sabiuddin, however, denied the charges, claiming that there was no power connection in his name and that the house was locked while he and his family were at a wedding function.
Meanwhile, in the same village, more theft cases were detected --- 5.44 kW at the house of one Zubair and 3.563 kw at Mushir Ahmad’s residence. The inspection team was led by executive engineer Harish Kumar.
In a parallel drive in Aonla, the electricity department carried out inspections in several areas, including Ansari Chowk, Maharajpuram, Sargam Road, Bhurjitola, Jatavpura, Ganj Quraishiyan, Ratanlal Gali, Gausia Chowk, State Bank Crossing, and other localities. Over 200 shops and houses were inspected, leading to discontinuation of around 150 power connections due to unpaid bills, officials said.
Five household meters were relocated outside homes to prevent tampering and three faulty meters were replaced. Legal action was taken against ten consumers under Section 126 of the Electricity Act.
JE Manoj Kumar said the campaign would continue in the coming days. SDOs Kamesh Kumar, Ramesh Kumar, Sajan Kumar, Ramdeen, Rajat, and Kishanpal were among those present during the operation.
According to a statement issued by spokesperson and executive engineer Vipul Kumar Jain, a total of 697 consumer connections were inspected in the rural distribution blocks. Power load was increased for 34 consumers, FIRs were filed against 97 for electricity theft, and 219 connections were severed due to non-payment of bills. The department also recovered dues to the tune of ₹6.89 lakh. In urban areas, electricity theft or unpaid bills led to discontinuation of 31 connections across 15 households.
