There has been a 25% jump in the power theft cases registered this year compared to 2016, data shared by the Delhi Police reveal.
Till July, a total of 1,453 power theft cases were reported from the city compared to 1,153 cases registered during the same period last year.
Experts say power thefts are rampant in areas such as Najafgarh, Jaffarpur, Mundka, Karawal Nagar, Seelampur, Mandawali, Chandni Mahal, Nand Nagari, Turkman Gate, Yamuna Vihar and Daryaganj, Dallupura, Old Seelampur, Khichripur, Shastri Park, Baljeet Nagar, Sabhapur village, Badarpur, Burari, Jahangirpuri, Wazirabad, Shaheen Bagh and Geeta Colony. In fact, in these areas, the AT & C losses still range between 25% and 50%.
Detecting cases
Regular inspections by BSES teams help in detecting power theft cases. In July, for instance, nearly a dozen cases were reported from Geeta Colony within a span of two days.
The police said they acted upon the complaints registered by the BSES.
“We have registered cases under Section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003. All of these will be investigated with the help of documents provided by officials of the Electricity Department,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Nupur Prasad.
Many challenges
The anti-theft teams, however, face many challenges while detecting these cases. Last month, a BSES engineer died and four others were injured after their car rammed a tree in south--west Delhi’s Jaffarpur Kalan. The men were allegedly trying to flee from a mob, which started chasing them during an anti-power theft raid in the area.
In the past, there was a dedicated team of 114 CISF personnel for protecting anti-theft officials. The discoms used to pay them. The service, however, was withdrawn after the Lok Sabha elections in 2009.