Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], May 22 : In a startling turn of events, a case of electricity theft has been filed against a three-year-old toddler in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, as reported by ARY News.
Upon complaints from the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) and the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), an FIR was lodged against the minor for his alleged involvement in power theft.
The minor was even brought before the Court of the Additional Sessions Judge, prompting his legal representative to assert that the case was dismissed by the judge upon receiving an affidavit. Furthermore, it was noted that officials from WAPDA/PESCO expressed uncertainty regarding the child's connection to the alleged offence.
This incident comes on the heels of a shocking revelation last month, wherein power theft within Power Distribution Companies (DISCOs) purportedly led to a staggering loss of PKR 438 billion to the national treasury.
Sources disclosed that these losses amounted to over PKR 438 billion, a substantial figure amidst the total annual billing of PKR 723 billion.
Identified as the poorest performing DISCOs, the power division singled out companies in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Peshawar, Quetta, and Tribal areas for their dismal records.
On April 7, the Punjab Energy Department raised concerns about power distribution companies overcharging government institutions, labelling it a burden on the provincial exchequer.
Highlighting the issue, the department emphasized 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) were guilty of overcharging government departments.
With over 1,02,000 electric connections across provincial departments, the discrepancy between actual consumption and billed amounts was glaring. "In the financial year 2022-23, the provincial departments consumed electricity worth over PKR 1.91 billion but had to pay PKR 76 billion," the department revealed.
In a bid to combat this pervasive issue, the federal government approved the deployment of Federal Investigation Officers (FIA) to electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) to curb power theft and bolster revenue recovery, responding to demands from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), ARY News reported.
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