Pune: MSEDCL to Publicly Name and Shame Power Thieves, Keep 24-Hour Watch

Pune, 15th September 2026: Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has launched a strict crackdown on power theft, announcing that offenders will no longer be let off merely after being fined. Criminal cases will be registered against those found stealing electricity, and stringent action will be taken.

MSEDCL said it is keeping a 24-hour watch on consumers involved in illegal connections, tampering with electricity meters and drawing power directly from cables. The names, photographs and addresses of power thieves will now be published on MSEDCL’s website, in local newspapers and on public notice boards in the respective areas, the utility said.

The move is aimed at protecting honest consumers from bearing the financial burden caused by electricity theft. Power theft results in revenue losses for the utility, which can eventually lead to demands for higher electricity tariffs from the state electricity regulator. As a result, consumers who regularly and honestly pay their bills end up bearing the indirect cost of theft.

To encourage timely bill payments, MSEDCL is also implementing a policy under which regular consumers will be offered incentives such as concessions and cashback, besides being recognised as “ideal consumers”.

MSEDCL has started using technology to curb power theft and has begun installing smart meters. However, despite electricity consumption data being continuously tracked through these meters, some consumers are still attempting to tamper with them or illegally draw power.

The utility said smart meters enable it to detect discrepancies in electricity consumption almost immediately, allowing officials to catch offenders red-handed.

Under Section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003, electricity theft is a cognisable offence. Conviction under the law can attract imprisonment of up to three years.

For a first offence, the offender can be fined up to three times the financial value of the electricity stolen. In the case of a second offence, the penalty can rise to six times the value of the stolen electricity, along with imprisonment ranging from six months to five years.