After 12-year-long trial, duo fined Rs 4 lakh collectively for tampering meters and stealing electricity in Bhiwandi

Thane: A 12-year-long trail against two flour mill owners from

Bhiwandi

concluded in their conviction in the power theft case as the district sessions judge fined the duo Rs four lakh collectively.

District Judge PP Jadhav, in his order issued last week, convicted Ramdev Yadav (50) and Mohammad Akram Imamali Ansari (60), residents of Nehru Nagar and Navi Vasti respectively under section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003 and fined them Rs 1.90 lakh and Rs 2.10 lakh respectively.

Additional Public Prosecutor Vivek G Kadu told the court that the officials of the MSEDCL conducted an inspection of their electric meters on September 18 and 22, 2006 respectively and found them tampered.

They assessed the theft of power to the extent of 23,913 units in case of Yadav and 28,688 units in case of Ansari and the total loss to the power utility was Rs 1.45 lakh and Rs 1.61 lakhs respectively.

On assessment it was revealed that the meter was slow by 66.94% and 91.65%.

In his order the judge observed that the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubts the duo had by tampering with the meters indulged in power theft.