ITANAGAR, Sep 29: Just two days after an electrician duo was arrested for illegally tampering with energy meters in the Chimpu area, the police here detained a third one on Saturday for his involvement in meter tampering, based on an FIR lodged by the power department.
The electrician, identified as Montu Baishya, serves in the Arunachal Police Housing & Welfare Corporation Limited at the police headquarters here. He was reportedly found tampering with and bypassing prepaid energy meters installed in the staff quarters at the Group Centre in the IRBn complex in Chimpu.
“This illegality was detected by an assistant engineer of the capital electrical subdivision-IV on 16 September during an inspection to locate a site for construction of a 33/11 kv substation in and around Chimpu,” the department informed in a press release on Saturday.
“One of the consumers (connection number 1417037, meter number No ADP-03100) has informed that Baishya had done all these illegalities at the IRBn Group Centre, charging Rs 200 from each consumer,” the release said.
It said Baishya might have been involved in such illegal activities in many other government quarters and private residences in various locations.
Informing that 42 prepaid energy meters out of the 54 installed in the IRBn complex were found either tampered with or bypassed, the department claimed that the revenue losses caused by the meter tampering and bypassing would be “to the tune of crores of rupees.”
The department urged the police to conduct a thorough inquiry into the case, “as there might be many more people involved in the illegal activity.”
