Electricity theft racket busted: Sambhal authorities uncover illegal connections at mosque, charging station, 50 houses

SAMBHAL: Large-scale power theft was detected during a pre-dawn enforcement drive led by district authorities in Sambhal on Monday, officials said. The anti-power theft drive began around 5 am in the Rai Satti and Sarai Tareen areas and was led by the district magistrate and the superintendent of police, along with senior electricity department officials, according to news agency PTI. Several cases of illegal power use were detected during the drive, including at a mosque, an e-rickshaw charging station and an unauthorised mini power distribution setup, officials said. District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya told reporters that a campaign against electricity theft has been underway in Sambhal since September last year, resulting in direct and indirect savings of nearly Rs 150 crore."Today's drive was conducted in Rai Satti and Sarai Tareen areas, where line losses exceed 50 per cent. Multiple teams carried out raids and detected widespread power theft," Pensiya said. He said an illegal e-rickshaw charging station was found where vehicles were being charged using stolen electricity, while a mini-charging station supplying power illegally to around 40 to 50 houses was also detected. Besides this, power theft was found at 20 to 30 locations, including at a mosque, the district magistrate said. Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi said the area appeared to be part of a large power theft racket, prompting a focused enforcement drive. "To curb it (power theft), a special campaign has been launched with deployment of police personnel from eight police stations and several circle officers," Vishnoi said. Officials said further legal action would be taken against those found involved in electricity theft.