Electricity worth Rs 30.73 stolen in Thane district; 66 booked

Thane, Sep 19 (PTI) The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has registered cases against 66 persons in connection with electricity thefts worth Rs 30.73 lakh in rural areas of Thane district, a senior official from the power company said on Friday.

The MSEDCL carried out intensive inspection drives in Titwala, Indira Nagar, Ganesh Wadi, and Ballani areas over the last two months, he said.

"The inspection was conducted by the Titwala sub-division in July and August. During the drive, electricity theft was detected at 66 locations, and 1,21,000 units had been stolen, causing a loss of Rs 30.73 lakh to the MSEDCL," an official release stated.

The investigation revealed that people were drawing electricity illegally by bypassing meters or tampering with service wires.

In many cases, despite having installed metres, the accused were directly tapping into the power supply, thereby violating the norms under the Electricity Act, 2003.

The company has now initiated legal proceedings against 66 people by filing formal complaints under relevant sections of the Electricity Act, the release said. PTI COR ARU