PESHAWAR: Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) has removed more than 1500 direct hooks and recovered over Rs150 million fines from the people involved in power theft during its one-week campaign against power theft in different parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to a Pesco spokesman Usman Saleem the operation has been further accelerated following instructions of Pesco chief Qazi Muhammad Tahir. In addition, the spokesman said that FIRs had been registered against more than 300 electricity thieves while fresh applications had been submitted to relevant police for registration of FIRs against more than 1200 people found involved in the power theft. Many of the accused persons, he said, had already been arrested on the spot and handed over to police.

He urged the people to extend cooperation to the power company in its operation against the power thieves to improve the power supply system in the province. He said the citizens could report electricity theft by calling helpline 118. Referring to the mode of theft, the spokesman said that in Mardan some people had adopted a unique style of power theft. The accused person was stealing electricity by passing the wire through the sewer line. Since the wires were underground, it was difficult to identify the theft of electricity. However, the Pesco taskforce carried out a successful operation where the accused was arrested and fined heavily.

Similarly, the Pesco Task Force Peshawar circle raided the house of former member of national assembly Bilal Rehman at Alhafiz colony who was using electricity through a direct link illegally and causing huge losses to the power company. It was stated that the former lawmaker was also a debtor of 23 lakhs. The Pesco team fined him and submitted an application to police for registration of FIR against him.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023