26-09-2016, 03:38 PM
In a theft case with a difference, a power consumer was caught trying to stop the counting process in his electric meter with the help of a special remote.
The accused had devised a method that was difficult to detect. A team of engineers with the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) worked on the case for several days to understand the modus operandi of the consumer, Vishwas Kadam.
The power distribution wing registered an FIR against Kadam, the owner of Vishwas Enterprises in Bhandup, with the Kalyan police under the Electricity Act of 2003. It also recovered a fine of Rs 2.71 lakh.
The remote used by Kadam acts in such a manner that when pressed, it turns off the meter's counting display. "This is the first such theft detected in Mumbai. It was found that the consumer had saved 487 hours of counting, based on which the fine has been levied," said an official.
The meter, which showed 6,000 units of consumption in January, was mysteriously found using 3,000 units in September. This raised the suspicion of the engineers, who sent the meter to a private company to detect the circuit and meter count.
"The company found that the circuit in the meter's counting process was being stopped for certain hours of the day. As the meter is of time-of-day type, it registered the on and off timings. This gave us evidence against the accused," said the official.
Later, a team of engineers trapped the consumer. One of the engineers found the display switched off when he reached the company premises. "But as soon as the consumer came in, the meter display was back. The engineers caught Kadam and registered a case against him," said an official.
The accused had devised a method that was difficult to detect. A team of engineers with the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) worked on the case for several days to understand the modus operandi of the consumer, Vishwas Kadam.
The power distribution wing registered an FIR against Kadam, the owner of Vishwas Enterprises in Bhandup, with the Kalyan police under the Electricity Act of 2003. It also recovered a fine of Rs 2.71 lakh.
The remote used by Kadam acts in such a manner that when pressed, it turns off the meter's counting display. "This is the first such theft detected in Mumbai. It was found that the consumer had saved 487 hours of counting, based on which the fine has been levied," said an official.
The meter, which showed 6,000 units of consumption in January, was mysteriously found using 3,000 units in September. This raised the suspicion of the engineers, who sent the meter to a private company to detect the circuit and meter count.
"The company found that the circuit in the meter's counting process was being stopped for certain hours of the day. As the meter is of time-of-day type, it registered the on and off timings. This gave us evidence against the accused," said the official.
Later, a team of engineers trapped the consumer. One of the engineers found the display switched off when he reached the company premises. "But as soon as the consumer came in, the meter display was back. The engineers caught Kadam and registered a case against him," said an official.