LAHORE, Jan 17 (APP):The Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) detected a total of 44,729 connections from where consumers were pilfering electricity in all its circles of five districts: Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur and Okara, in 130 days of grand anti-power theft campaign.

A spokesman told the media here on Wednesday that during the campaign, LESCO submitted 44,278 FIR applications against electricity thieves in the relevant police stations, out of which 41,834 cases were registered, and 16,967 accused were arrested by the police concerned. LESCO has so far charged a total of 65,358,325 detection units worth Rs 2.543 billion (Rs2,543,190,689 in total) to all power pilferers. LESCO Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Engineer Shahid Haider is supervising the anti-power-theft operations.

On the 130th consecutive day of the campaign, the spokesman added, LESCO teams detected 393 power pilferers and submitted 393 FIR applications with respective police stations, out of which 158 FIR were registered, while 17 accused arrested. During the operation, large commercial consumers were also found involved in electricity theft and all of them were also disconnected. Among the seized connections were 11 commercial, three agricultural and 379 domestic. All the power pilferers were charged with a total of 354,961 units as detection bill amounting to Rs 14.742 million.

Apprising the media about some major power pilferers, he explained that LESCO charged detection units worth Rs 825,478 and Rs 731,150 respectively to two electricity pilferers in Manawan area, Rs 250,00 to a power thief in Johar Town and Rs 200,000 to another customer stealing electricity in Islampura.