3 Delhi businessmen 'power thieves' get jail, Rs 1.25-cr fine

Three businessman convicted of power theft in the national capital have been sentenced to imprisonment and cumulatively fined Rs 1.25 crore, Delhi electrcity distribution company (discom) BSES, said on Wednesday.

Local Special Electricity Courts have awarded an east Delhi businessman a two-year jail term and a penalty of around Rs 1.15 crore, while two Khanpur businessmen were given one-year jail terms and a total penalty of around Rs 10 lakh for large-scale power theft, a BSES statement said.

The Special Court at Karkardooma convicted businessman Rajpal Singh of Old Seelampur in east Delhi of stealing 45kw of electricity by way of "direct theft for running sewing machines and lathe machine on the ground, first and second floors of his premises," it said.

Singh was sentenced to two years' imprisonment and fined Rs 1.15 crore. According to the court order, in case of default in paying the fine, Singh would have to undergo simple imprisonment for another three months.

In the other cases, the Special Court of Saket convicted two south Delhi businessmen, Kartar Singh and Bhanu, of stealing over 16kw of electricity for running a sewing and garments workshop at D/23-3C Khanpur Extension.

The two Khanpur businessmen were given one-year jail terms and a cumulative penalty of around Rs 10 lakh composed of a Rs 5.73 lakh fine and civil liability of Rs 3.82 lakh.

According to the discom, the court in its order described the crimes as "an economic offence wherein the society as a whole is the victim and the honest payers of electricity charges are the sufferers on account of the proved conduct of the convict".

"In default of fine, the convicts shall further undergo SI (simple imprisonment) for a period of six months," the order said.

Last year, a young BSES engineer lost his life and four other officials were seriously injured when they were attacked by power thieves during a discom drive against theft.

The BSES has earlier announced the sentencing of six offenders to jail terms and cumulative fines of over Rs 5 crore for power thefts in the capital.

--IANS

bc/nir