The vigilance team of Adani Electricity Mumbai Ltd (AEML) recently unearthed a power theft case of Rs.40 lakh from a commercial consumer operating in the Malwani area of the city’s Malad suburb.
In a release, AEML said that the consumer “M/s Bright Metal Coating Works” was directly tapping three-phase supply for plating and coating works.
The AEML team filed an FIR against the owner and tenant of the commercial premises at Kandivali Police Station, on January 30, 2023, the release said. The case has been handed over to Malwani Police Station for further investigation.
AEML had estimated pilferage of 2.17 lakh units (kwh) of electricity, valued at over Rs.40 lakh.
During period April 2022 to December 2022, Adani Electricity vigilance team conducted 11,989 mass raids, filed 571 FIRs, and booked 6,814 cases of irregularity. These efforts have brought down sub-transmission and distribution losses significantly.
Cracking the case
On January 10, 2023, the vigilance team of Adani Electricity was on its routine inspection of electricity meters at Rathodi Village, Malawani, Malad West. During the inspection they downloaded the meter data of Bright Metal Coating Works and post analysis found highly suspected events of direct supply.
It was also observed during the site visit the gates are locked from inside, so it gives time for them to disconnect the supply making it difficult to catch them red-handed. During further investigation when the team did a comparison of meter download data and previous physical site inspection, it was observed that direct supply is taken between 5:30 pm to 8:00 am, so as not to arouse suspicion.
The vigilance team then decided to catch the accused red hand and planned a raid on the premises at midnight of January 25, 2023. As a precautionary measure, the team informed the Malwani Police Station beforehand about the prospective raid.
When the team reached at the spot, they found the gates were closed from inside. Undeterred, the vigilance team members used a tall wooden stool to enter the premises and caught the accused red-handed.
Stealing electricity is a non-bailable offence. Under Section 135 of the Electricity Act 2003, the offender can be punished with a fine, a jail term of up to three years, or both, once proven guilty.
Also read: AEML Introduces Demand Side Management Programme For Residential Consumers
Burden on infrastructure
The power demand in certain slum clusters is already high, and new network development is not feasible due to acute space constraints. Power theft overloads the network. This increases the cost of servicing as cables and transformers are more prone to failures, adding to a surge in repair and maintenance costs.
Featured collage shows the illegal direct tapping of power through a service cable and changeover switch.
