Umbergaon resident held 8th time for power theft

SURAT: Not once, twice or thrice, a resident in Umbergaon taluka's Karembela village has been caught stealing electricity from Dakshin Gujarat Vij Co.Ltd's (DGVCL) high-tension line for eighth time in separate incidents since 2006.
Official sources said accused Ishwar Kikabhai Patel, a resident of Karembela village in Valsad's Umbergaon taluka, was caught red-handed while stealing power from the DGVCL's high tension pole located in front of his house on Thursday evening.
He was arrested under Section 135(I) of the Indian Electricity Act, 2003, after a case was registered against him at GUVNL police station in Surat. DGVCL's vigilance department had caught the accused allegedly using 7020 watts electricity valued at Rs 1.86 lakh.
Sources said the accused had extended a yellow-coloured two-cord service wire to the high-tension line and also a 55 metre of underground wire to his house. The accused does not have any official electricity connection and was thus using stolen power to light up his house.
A senior DGVCL officer said, "Since 2006, the accused has stolen power to the tune of Rs 8.15 lakh. This was the eighth time that he was arrested by the DGVCL team for stealing power."