MSEDCL flying squad detects power theft of over Rs 16 lakh; two brothers booked

Based on a complaint lodged by the MSEDCL officials, an offence was registered against the accused under the Electricity Act late Wednesday night, police said.

Thane: Police have registered an offence against two brothers for allegedly stealing electricity worth more than Rs 16 lakh at Taloja in Navi Mumbai since 2017, an official said on Thursday.

The power theft came to light after a flying squad of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) conducted an inspection and found that the electricity meters at two premises owned by the duo were tampered with, he said.

"During the inspection conducted on September 27, the MSEDCL found that 76,944 units of power worth Rs 16,17,160 had been stolen by the accused, identified as Vinod Keni and Raju Keni, starting May 2017," the official of Taloja police station said.

The accused are developers by profession, the police said.

During the operation, the MSEDCL squad detected power meters of the two premises owned by the duo in Taloja, including a gym, were tampered with to reduce the amount of energy consumption recorded, which resulted in the company suffering losses, they said.

Based on a complaint lodged by the MSEDCL officials, an offence was registered against the accused under the Electricity Act late Wednesday night, they said.