New Delhi, July 21, 2006

Press Release

Mother and Son duo sent to Tihar Jail for power theft, Released on Rs 1 lakh bail

Meter Tamperers caught red handed, sent to Tihar jail for 14 days

Case I

• Mother and Son duo sent to Tihar Jail for power theft, Released on Rs 1 lakh bail

Case II

• Meter tamperers caught red handed
• Trap set by Vigilance team and Delhi Police along with the customers help

• FIR lodged – accused remanded to 14 day Judicial Custody
• Incriminating evidence found on the accused
• Accused have disclosed the names of consumers, whose meters they had tampered

BSES’ efforts to crackdown on power theft recently got an impetus, when in two separate cases, four power thieves, including a mother and son duo, were sent to Tihar Jail.

(A) Mother and son sent to Tihar Jail on power theft, Released on Rs 1 lakh bail

In the BSES Vs Rocky/ Smt. Avinash Chaddha case – an Additional Sessions Jude sentenced the accused (mother and son duo) residents of 13A/D1, DDA Flats, Kondali, to 14 days judicial custody for indulging in power theft. Two days later, the mother and son duo, were released on bail, but only after payment of Rs 1 lakh surety.

In late 2004, a BSES team had disconnected the power supply of 13A/D1, DDA FLATS, Kondali due to non-payment of bills. Chaddhas were using their flat for commercial purposes – but instead of taking a legal connection, they had preferred stealing electricity – by tapping into the BSES bus bar.

A BSES inspection on January 27, 2005 caught them red handed and they were found to be illegally using 7.025 KW. A supplementary bill for “DIRECT THEFT” of Rs. 3, 12,806 was raised against the duo as per the Indian Electricity Act, 2003. When no payments were made, within the stipulated timeframe, BYPL had filed a case against the duo in the Special Court.

(B) Meter Tamperers caught red handed, sent to Tihar Jail for 14 days

In another case, a FIR no. 200/06 was lodged at Farash Bazaar Police Station against two persons - Dilip Kumar (24) and Shashank (19) for meter tampering. Later in the day, the accused were produced in the Special Court of Special Judge Chander Gupta and were remanded to 14 days judicial custody at Tihar Jail.

Both the accused had been operating in East Delhi and used to approach customers to tamper their meters for a fee. They were apprehended, when one of the customers together with a BSES Vigilance team and a Delhi Police representative set a trap for the duo.

The consumer (name withheld on request) living in East Delhi’s Vishwas Nagar area and who had agreed to cooperate in the operation contacted the duo to have his meter tampered.  The meter tamperers, agreed to come and slow down the consumer meter for a sum of Rs 2000/-.

Two persons arrived on a motorcycle at the customer’s residence around 7:15 pm., removed the meter, tampered it and reinstalled it. They were paid a sum of Rs1000/- by the consumer, after which they were apprehended by the waiting Vigilance Team accompanied by a local police representative.

The entire operation was photo/video graphed as material evidence against the tamperers.  Both Dilip Kumar and Shashank were arrested by the local police for committing offences u/s 135 and 138 of the Electricity Act.  Apart from recovering the money paid to them (Rs 1000/-), their tool bag was also seized. The tool bag besides containing the usual electricians' tools, also contained four remote control devices, five power circuit breakers five and many resistances that are used to slow down meters.

“During preliminary interrogation, both the accused confessed to their tampering activities and said they had different rates for installing remote control devices and for slowing down meters.  They have named one S.K.Jain as the person who gave them in-house training on how to tamper meters and even agreed to disclose the premises where they had tampered meters in the past. Based on the disclosures made by the duo, BSES Enforcement teams are preparing to carry out inspections and book the concerned consumers for “Dishonest Abstraction of Energy”, said a BSES official.

According to a BSES spokesperson “The success rate of BSES enforcement teams detecting power theft cases has substantially increased. Part of the credit goes to the increasing number of tip offs received on our anti theft numbers – 39999777 and 39999888. On an average our Enforcement Teams come across 10 cases of tampered meters a day. Power theft is a social crime and it will only be curbed with the help and co-operation of all members of the society at large”

BSES, Delhi’s premier power distribution company, is committed to ensuring quality and reliable electricity supply to all its consumers.

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