Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Three more residents have been booked for tampering with MSEDCL’s smart TOD (Time of Day) meters to steal electricity. Earlier, two similar cases had surfaced in Sambhajinagar city and Vaijapur.
During an inspection drive, assistant engineer Pradeep Misal of MSEDCL’s Airport division and his team found that some consumers were manipulating newly installed smart meters. Investigation revealed that Vijaykumar Wakale of Sangharsh Nagar stole power worth Rs 3,694, Jijabai Misal Rs 4,126, and Shivaji Jadhav of Tanaji Nagar Rs 4,104. Each was billed for the stolen electricity and fined an additional Rs 2,000 as compromise fees, but they avoided payment. Acting on Misal’s complaint, CIDCO police registered a case against the trio under Section 135 of the Electricity Act.
Case filed for obstructing smart meter installation
In another incident, three persons were booked for obstructing MSEDCL staff during smart meter installation at Jabinda Square colony on Beed Bypass. On September 3, Bharti Ashok Jagadale, Amrutkar, and Ashish allegedly misbehaved with the officials and created hurdles in the work. Assistant engineer Santosh Surve filed a complaint at Satara police station, following which the trio has been booked.