Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) superintending engineer, operation circle Hyderabad, Malik Imtiaz-ul-Haque said that Hesco circle task force for recovery team was harassed and threatened with dire consequences when the team removed three-poll mounted transformer (PMT) of 100-KVA at government High Way Plaza where residents were stealing power directly from the poll.
Speaking to journalists during a press conference held at his office, Shahbaz Building on Tuesday evening, he said that as per schedule, the team was taking action against illegal connections and power theft. He said that the team removed cables and three PMTs supplying power to High Way Plaza government's property opposite Water Wing Colony Hussainabad due to massive power theft.
He said that there were more than 50 apartments of this plaza where police and government officials including Assistant commissioner Latifabad Anwar Ali Panhwar had been living in 18 flats and stealing power since long without any electricity metre. He claimed that these residents of 18 flats owed over Rs 3 million and they were stealing power without any metre.
He said that when the team completed operation after removing the PMTs and cables, then AC Latifabad Anwer Ali Panhwar with guards reached the spot and misbehaved with the Hesco task force then he went. He said that after a couple of minutes, personal staff officer (PSO) to SSP Hyderabad Waris Bhutto with commandoes came while playing siren of police-mobile and started harassing, threatening the staff and him (SE Malik Imtiaz) with dire consequences.
He said that he asked them to pay bills and the power would be restored. "Waris Bhutto threatened me by saying that I will see you. Go and register an FIR against me. I always co-operated with you in the recovery team. He asked for cables removed. I asked him to take cables lying in the Hesco vehicles in fear," he said.
He blamed that Waris Bhutto used objectionable and harsh language against him and snatched a mobile-phone set of the Hesco team assistant lineman Waqas Malak and went away. He stated that it was a really shame that police did not do his personal work, if they co-operated with Hesco team to arrest power thieves in the past.
He said that he was doing a noble cause to control power theft and deduction bills. While the AC and police officer were behaving like the rulers and considering Hesco team as slaves. He said that he reported the matter to the high-ups to take notice of the incident immediately. Malik Imtiaz said that millions of rupees of power theft were taking place at Airport police station, B-Section police station, DSP Hussainabad office, SSP Bungalow Hussainabad, police plaza near DSP Hussainabad office and Doaba police line Gari Khata.