The Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has arrested 289 individuals in the last 24 hours as part of its ongoing anti-electricity theft campaign. The campaign is being conducted under the supervision of Chief Executive Engineer Shahid Haider and has so far apprehended a total of 35,211 individuals involved in electricity theft. According to LESCO spokesperson on Wednesday, during the latest operation, FIRs were filed against 137 individuals, with 137 applications registered and 13 arrests made. A total of 293 domestic connections, 13 commercial connections, and 1 industrial connection were found to be illegally using electricity. These connections were disconnected and charged a total of Rs. 12,313,048 for the detection of 33,2138 units of stolen electricity.

Among the noteworthy cases, a connection in Shafiqabad was charged Rs. 125,000, while connections in Sharqpur and the factory area were charged Rs. 100,000 each. Overall, the operation has yielded impressive results, with 34,819 cases filed against accused individuals and 33,479 cases registered against electricity thieves. A total of 15,858 individuals have been arrested and Rs. 2243927577 has been recovered from the stolen electricity units, amounting to 57,273,810 units. The LESCO spokesperson stated that the campaign will continue until the complete eradication of electricity theft in the region. The company is urging the public to cooperate with the authorities by reporting any instances of electricity theft.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)