Power Pilferage 

The Quetta electric supply company in all its circles continued operation against power pilferage and detected 956 illegal connections. So far fifty five persons have been arrested and 101 cases have been registered against all culprits in different police stations. More than 206 million rupees have been charged to all those involved in power pilferage. During the course of one year, power distribution companies (DISCOs) purchased 116.5 billion units of electricity. They sold 97.34 billion units to consumers while 19.17 billion units were either stolen or lost due to technical deficiencies. In this regard, the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) suffered the greatest losses as its 5.7 billion units worth Rs77 billion were stolen in one year.

A comprehensive and indiscriminate action is been taken against power pilferage across the country on daily basis. Inspector general Punjab Police Dr. Usman Anwar has said that police registered above twenty two thousand cases and arrested fourteen thousand nine hundred people involved in power pilferage in Punjab. So far, more than 19 thousand connections being used for power pilferage have been detected and disconnected by LESCO and law enforcement agencies in the Lahore city region. Firs have been registered against more than 1,169 individuals and 101 individuals involved in the pilferage have been arrested. More than 28.5 carore rupees have been charged to all those involved in power pilferage. LESCO has also taken strict administrative action against at least 8 of its senior officers who were found to be complicit in the power theft.

The Pakistan Penal Code and the Electricity Act 1910 provide the legal framework for dealing with electricity theft cases. Offenders can face fines and imprisonment if found guilty. Electricity theft has been a long-standing issue in Pakistan, leading to significant financial losses for the country’s power sector. The government and various utility companies have taken several measures to address this problem and crack down on electricity theft. However, please note that the situation may have evolved since then, and I do not have access to real-time information. Crackdowns on electricity theft are typically carried out by authorities to address illegal connections, tampering with meters, and other forms of unauthorized electricity usage. These efforts are aimed at reducing losses for power distribution companies and ensuring fair distribution of electricity resources to consumers.