MSEDCL Uncovers 19,599 Power Theft Cases Across Maharashtra in Four-Month Drive
The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has uncovered 19,599 cases of power theft across Maharashtra over the past four months, the state power utility announced in Mumbai on Sunday. The detections were made during an intensified enforcement drive aimed at curbing electricity pilferage across domestic, commercial, industrial, and other consumer categories throughout the state.
A substantial portion of the total violations was identified in the most recent phase of the operation, with a staggering 11,032 cases detected in July alone. Officials stated that the high number of detections in July reflects the sheer scale of ongoing electricity pilferage taking place across the utility's supply network.
The dedicated anti-theft campaign was officially launched in April as part of systematic efforts to reduce distribution and commercial losses. Detailed inspections carried out by MSEDCL teams since April revealed 15,965 cases that involved direct hooking onto power lines or the physical tampering of electricity meters. These identified violations resulted in total power theft evaluated at Rs 30.36 crore, while the formal assessment of another 3,634 cases remains underway.
Geographically, the enforcement drive spanned multiple regions across Maharashtra. The highest number of theft cases was detected in the Konkan region, which accounted for 7,496 cases. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar region recorded the second-highest tally with 4,597 cases, closely followed by the Nagpur region with 4,521 cases. The Pune region recorded 2,985 cases over the course of the four-month drive.
Following the detection and evaluation of the illicit connections, MSEDCL issued electricity theft bills amounting to Rs 30.36 crore for the cases assessed so far. In response to the notices, around 6,629 consumers have deposited Rs 14.12 crore with the utility.
Alongside the recovery of billed amounts for stolen electricity, penalty and settlement charges are being levied on non-compliant users. MSEDCL confirmed that it has recovered an additional Rs 1.85 crore as compounding charges across 4,959 cases during the statewide operation.
