MSEDCL Uncovers 19,599 Power Theft Cases Across Maharashtra in Four-Month Drive
MUMBAI — State power utility Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) detected 19,599 cases of electricity theft across Maharashtra over a four-month campaign, the utility announced on Sunday. The crackdown spanned domestic, commercial, industrial, and other consumer categories, with 11,032 cases uncovered in July alone.
The anti-theft drive was launched in April as part of ongoing measures to curb distribution and commercial losses across the state grid. Inspections carried out by utility teams revealed widespread irregularities, including direct hooking onto power lines and unauthorized meter tampering.
According to MSEDCL, assessments completed for 15,965 cases revealed electricity theft valued at Rs 30.36 crore. The evaluation of another 3,634 detected cases is currently underway.
Geographically, the Konkan region recorded the highest incidence of power theft during the four-month period, accounting for 7,496 cases. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar region followed with 4,597 cases, while Nagpur registered 4,521 cases and the Pune region reported 2,985 cases.
Following the assessment of the 15,965 cases, MSEDCL issued electricity theft bills totaling Rs 30.36 crore to the offending consumers. So far, around 6,629 consumers have paid Rs 14.12 crore towards these dues.
In addition to recovering billed amounts, the utility is levying penalties and settlement charges on violators. MSEDCL has recovered Rs 1.85 crore in compounding charges across 4,959 cases as enforcement actions continue.
