Court sentences absconding power thief to jail

Delhi electricity distribution company (discom) BSES said on Wednesday that a habitual power thief in the city, who had a non-bailable arrest warrant against him, has been arrested and sent to jail.

A BSES release said four different cases of power theft were registered against the offender -- shopowner Makhdoom from the capital's Jama Masjid area -- and his tenant. 

"Subsequently, the case was heard by the Special Court of Electricity, which directed the accused to pay 30 per cent of the bill amount of Rs 1.3 lakh. He neither appeared for the court hearing nor complied with the order, forcing the court to issue a non-bailable warrant," it said.

The arrested accused was produced before the Special Court of Electricity, the discom said.

"After hearing the arguments and dismissing his bail application, the court not only sent him to Tihar, but also directed the accused to pay 30 per cent in another case of direct theft where the bill raised was over Rs 3 lakh," it said.

Noting that attacks on discom inspection teams by power thieves and a miscreants is a major job hazard, the statement drew attention to the instance last year of a BSES engineer losing his life when he was chased to his death by power thieves in west Delhi. 

"In an incident in village Kharkhari in Najafgargh where the losses are still above 60 per cent, a six-member BSES team was attacked with stones and manhandled by a group of 10-15 people. They were opposing team's bid to unearth power theft in the area," it said. 

Power theft-rampant pockets in Delhi include Chandni Chowk, Daryaganj, Najafgargh, Jaffarpur, Mundka, Badarpur, Shaheen Bagh, Karawal Nagar, Seelampur, Mandawali, Chandni Mahal, Nand Nagari, Turkman Gate, Yamuna Vihar and Dallupura, among others, it added. - IANS