Mob attacks three discom staff, cop
Officials had gone to Mundka as part of anti-power theft drive.
New Delhi: The anti-power theft drive by a power distribution company took a violent turn when a mob attacked three discom officials and a Delhi police officer, the BSES said on Friday. Two villagers responsible for the attack have been arrested and an FIR has been lodged by the Delhi police.
“Last evening, members of the BSES Rajdhani Power Limited’s inspection team were attacked and roughed-up by a mob of unscrupulous elements in Mundka (Ranholla village) in West Delhi,” the discom said in a statement.
“The presence of around 20 Delhi police personnel accompanying the BSES team in the high power theft area did not deter the mob. This attack was undertaken by people who indulged in power theft in an organised way,” it said.
The BSES said a 15-member inspection team, that included three women, was undertaking a loss reduction exercise in the area when a mob gathered and started pelting stones at them. “This is not an isolated incident. Whenever teams reach such ‘sensitive’ areas, unscrupulous elements “gherao” officials from performing their duties,” it said.
“Despite intensive efforts to reduce power theft, village Raholla (in Division Mundka) continues to have massive losses of around 40 per cent. In the last two years, around 450 cases of power theft having a connected load of around 1200 KW have been unearthed in the area,” it added.
Last month, BSES said special electricity courts in Delhi for power thefts have handed out heavy punishment to two offenders — one of them sentenced to jail and a '4 lakh fine imposed.
Earlier this year, the BSES had announced the sentencing of three offenders to jail terms and cumulative fines of over Rs 55 lakh. Last year, special courts in four separate judgments had sentenced Delhi residents to rigorous imprisonment for power theft and imposed heavy fines.