No leniency for habitual offenders, says Navdeep Singh Virk
Haryana: State Enforcement Bureau has intensified its crackdown on power theft, with Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Navdeep Singh Virk directing officials to launch a focused campaign against repeat offenders.
Chairing a review meeting, Sh. Navdeep Virk instructed all officers and staff to take strict action against habitual electricity thieves. He emphasized that the objective of the drive is to send a strong message that power theft is not merely a loss of revenue but a criminal offence.
As part of the ongoing campaign, cases have been registered under Section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003, and deliberate as well as repeat offenders are being arrested. Between January and March 2026, a total of 90 individuals were booked and arrested in such cases.
In one such instance, on April 6, 2026, Ramesh, son of Dhanpat Singh and a resident of Kala village under Jatusana police station in Rewari district, was arrested in connection with five cases of electricity theft. Despite repeated notices to deposit the penalty amount with the power utility, he failed to comply. Being a habitual offender, he was formally charge-sheeted and produced before the District and Sessions Court, Rewari.
The Bureau has been identifying and acting against such offenders across the state. Officials, including Police Station Manager PSI/SHO Naresh Kumar and Investigating Officer SI Bharat Sharma of Rewari, have been commended for their work.
Statewide action against habitual offenders
So far, the Bureau has arrested a total of 397 accused across Haryana and produced them before the courts. The district-wise figures include: Panchkula (1), Faridabad (13), Nuh (2), Gurugram (48), Rewari (3), Fatehabad (30), Jind (104), Hisar (136), Sirsa (33), Jhajjar (6), Charkhi Dadri (8), Rohtak (2), Sonipat (2), and Bhiwani (10).
The ADGP appreciated the efforts of station heads and investigating officers involved in the campaign. Inspector General of Police Kuldeep Singh and Superintendent of Police Tahir Hussain were also present at the meeting.
Revenue recovery
In the first quarter of 2026, the drive against power theft has resulted in revenue recovery of Rs 32.28 crore. The district-wise recovery (in Rs crore) is as follows: Ambala (1.98), Kurukshetra (1.09), Panchkula (0.16), Yamunanagar (0.62), Faridabad (4.37), Palwal (1.92), Nuh (0.81), Gurugram (4.28), Mahendragarh (0.41), Rewari (1.54), Fatehabad (1.93), Jind (1.96), Hisar (2.20), Sirsa (0.96), Karnal (0.67), Panipat (1.31), Kaithal (2.12), Jhajjar (1.60), Charkhi Dadri (0.93), Rohtak (1.92), Sonipat (1.80), and Bhiwani (2.80).
