Power theft proves costly, Kamptee man gets one-year jail, Rs 30 lakh fine

Viraj.DeshpandeNagpur: A Kamptee resident has been sentenced to one year imprisonment and fined Rs30 lakh after a court found him guilty of electricity theft through tampering of power distribution equipment.

The judgement, delivered by judge Shilpa M Bais, is being seen as a stern warning against power theft and related offences.The court convicted Parvez Ahmed Mohammad Idris, 65 , a resident of Yerkheda Road, Kamptee, under provisions of the Electricity Act. The court imposed a fine of Rs30 lakh and ordered that failure to pay the amount would attract an additional one-year simple imprisonment.According to officials, the case dates back to 2014, when a Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd inspection team raided the accused’s premises in the Ismailpur area of Kamptee.

During the inspection, officials allegedly found evidence of power theft and seized an HPL three-phase electricity meter, an MCBCT box and a 30-foot copper cable used in the illegal connection.Following the raid, a case was registered at the MSEDCL Police Station under Section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003. The matter was subsequently tried before the sessions court.Assistant public prosecutor WM Kazi represented the prosecution and presented documentary and oral evidence before the court.

After examining the evidence and hearing arguments from both sides, the court held the accused guilty of electricity theft.The court also directed that the period already spent by the accused in custody during the trial be adjusted against the sentence as per provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita . Further, the seized material, valued at around Rs35,000, will be handed over to the MSEDCL Kamptee division after the expiry of the appeal period. Advocate VB Thakur appeared for the defence.