3-year-old charged for electricity theft in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

In a surprising development, a three-year-old toddler has been charged with electricity theft in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, as reported by ARY News.

The case was initiated following complaints from the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) and the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), resulting in an FIR being filed against the minor for alleged involvement in power theft.

The toddler was even brought before the Court of the Additional Sessions Judge. However, the case was dismissed by the judge upon receiving an affidavit from the child's legal representative. Additionally, officials from WAPDA/PESCO expressed uncertainty regarding the child's connection to the alleged offense.

This incident has surfaced amidst recent revelations of significant power theft within Power Distribution Companies (DISCOs), which purportedly led to a staggering loss of PKR 438 billion to the national treasury.

Sources disclosed that these losses amounted to over PKR 438 billion, a substantial figure compared to the total annual billing of PKR 723 billion.

Identified as the poorest performing DISCOs, the power division singled out companies in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Peshawar, Quetta, and Tribal areas for their dismal records.

On April 7, the Punjab Energy Department raised concerns about power distribution companies overcharging government institutions, labeling it a burden on the provincial exchequer.\

In response to the pervasive issue of power theft, the federal government approved the deployment of Federal Investigation Officers (FIA) to electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) to curb power theft and bolster revenue recovery, responding to demands from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as reported by ARY News.