Nationwide Crackdown on Power Theft Recovers Over Rs 108 Billion, Thousands Arrested

In a sweeping nationwide crackdown against power theft, the Power Division has successfully recovered more than Rs 108.93 billion in total.

This robust campaign, launched by the government in coordination with military leadership, aims to stabilize the economy and is already delivering substantial results.

The operation has also led to the arrest of over 84,000 individuals involved in electricity theft across the country.

In August alone, authorities reclaimed over one billion rupees from power thieves in key cities such as Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, and Islamabad.

On September 6 last year, the caretaker federal government announced plans to intensify its efforts against electricity theft, a major factor contributing to the escalating circular debt in the power sector. The Power Minister pointed out that the country’s 10 distribution companies are facing annual losses of Rs 589 billion, primarily due to electricity theft and nonpayment of bills.

This initiative follows widespread protests over inflated electricity bills, which ignited demonstrations from Karachi to Khyber, some of which turned violent.