LAHORE  -  Former provincial minister and can­didate for MNA Mehar Saeed Ahmed Zafar Padhyar was found involved in electricity theft. According to a LE­SCO spokesman here on Saturday, Padhyar was caught stealing electric­ity in Nankana area. The company cut off power supply to Padhyar and charged him 8,620 detection units worth Rs 250,000, he added.

The spokesman said that an appli­cation for FIR has also been submit­ted with the relevant police station.

LESCO detects 248 more power theft cases on 3rd day of operation Also, LESCO continued vigorously anti-power theft operation in all its circles for the third consecutive day and detected another 248 connections from where the electricity was being stolen through various means, the company’s spokesman con­firmed to the media here on Saturday. He mentioned that a total of 790 connections were found stealing electric­ity during the three days of operation in the LESCO re­gion under the supervision of LESCO Chief Executive Of­ficer Engineer Shahid Haid­er. The company has charged a total of 2,457,605 units of detection bill of Rs 103.806 million to all the electrici­ty thieves, besides submit­ting 788 applications for FIR in the respective police sta­tions, out of which 470 FIRs have been registered.

The spokesman said, “During the third day of oper­ation, we have detected 248 connections of power-theft in all the circles. We also man­aged to unearth some mega industries stealing electricity through various means. The connections included four in­dustrial, six agricultural, two commercial and 239 of do­mestic category.”

The spokesman added that after disconnecting all the 248 connections, a total of 861061 units have been charged in the form of de­tection bill amounting to Rs 33.765 million.

Applications for FIRs against all electricity thieves have been submitted in the respective police stations, out of which 141 FIRs have been registered, he said and asserted that a LESCO offi­cial found involved in elec­tricity theft has also been ar­rested from Okara. LESCO spokesman explained that an ice cream factory in Mu­ridke area on Lahore-Gujran­wala Road has been charged for 87,000 detection units of Rs. 4.5 million, a steal re-roll­ing mill in Shalamar Town of provincial capital charged 210,028 detection units worth Rs 10 million, and an­other industry on Bund Road charged for 50000 units of Rs 2.150 million, while an amount of Rs 21.582 million has been charged to Sikka Oil Refinery in Ravi Road for 490,508 detection units.

He said that a total of 790 connections were found stealing electricity during the three days of operation in the LESCO region. Applications for FIR against 788 electric­ity thieves were submitted in the respective police sta­tions, out of which 470 FIRs have been registered, he said, asserting that after discon­necting all the such connec­tions, they were charged for 2,457,605 units of detection bill having total amount of Rs. 103,806,788. The LESCO has so far unearth five industrial, 21 agricultural, 24 commer­cial and 740 domestic con­nections stealing electricity.