Three-year-old booked in electricity theft case

In a shocking incident, a case of electricity theft has been registered against a three-year-old child in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Over the complaint of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) and Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), the FIR was registered against the minor boy, Zaeem Abbas, for allegedly being involved in power theft.

The child was subsequently presented in the Court of the Additional Sessions Judge.

However, the child’s lawyer stated that the judge dismissed the case upon receiving an affidavit, and further noted that officials from WAPDA/PESCO were unsure if the child was their client.

Last month, in a startling revelation, power theft in Power Distribution Companies (DISCOs) reportedly resulted in a whopping Rs 438 billion loss to the national kitty.

According to sources, the losses soared to over Rs 438 billion out of the total annual billing of Rs 723 billion.

Sources said that the power division has declared the power-sup companies in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Peshawar, Quetta, and Tribal areas as the worst-performing DISCOs.

On April 7, the Punjab Energy Department accused power distribution companies of overcharging the government institutions, terming it a burden on the provincial exchequer.

The energy department maintained that the Punjab Energy Department said that Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO), Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO), Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO) and Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) are overcharging from government departments.

Related: Power theft: Pakistan ‘okays’ deputation of FIA officers to DISCOs

It added that there are over 102,000 electric connections at government departments across the province.“In the financial year 2022-23, the provincial departments consumed electricity worth over Rs 1.91 billion but had to pay Rs 76 billion,” it added.

It is worth mentioning here that the federal government ‘okayed’ the deputation of Federal Investigation Officers (FIA) officers to electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) to end power theft.

The move was taken to end power theft and enhance recoveries on the demand of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the sources said.