Remote-aided meter hacks put Maha discom on alert

While the manipulation of petrol pumps to dispense lesser fuel than what is paid for is making ripples, the state power distribution utility has detected the use of Chinese-made and locally assembled remotes to manipulate meter readings.

Though the Aurangabad police claimed to have busted an electricity meter tampering racket in a joint operation, senior Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (Mahavitaran) officials fear similar methods may be employed across the state to steal power. The modus operandi is employed largely by those availing low-tension power supply, like domestic consumers.

The utility will lodge police cases in other areas where such malpractices have been detected.

These remotes can manipulate meters by stopping or slowing them down to show lesser readings. Thus, consumers can use power without being billed.

A video demo which shows how power meters are hacked using locally-assembled and China made remotes pic.twitter.com/orIC0aFZgW

— Dhaval Kulkarni (@dhavalkulkarni) July 23, 2017

A remote which was seized in Jalgaon urban. pic.twitter.com/sKEazuUJID

— Dhaval Kulkarni (@dhavalkulkarni) July 23, 2017

pic.twitter.com/JOJzPLlQbL

— Dhaval Kulkarni (@dhavalkulkarni) July 23, 2017

MahaVitaran sources said they seized a remote during an anti-power theft drive in early July. Subsequent raids with the police blew the lid off the racket. They admitted that though such remotes were detected earlier, these organized manipulations had been caught at a mass level for the first time.

"This type of racket is in every city," admitted Omprakash Bakoria, Joint Managing Director, MahaVitaran, adding FIRs would be lodged in cities like Dhule, where similar remotes were found. "If calculated over the years, it is a huge amount," he admitted.

Bakoria noted some consumers were consistently found to have used zero units of power or between zero to 30 units per month. He admitted that these decentralized rackets may have been on for around five to six years.

The 18 remotes seized in Aurangabad were Chinese-made, locally assembled and were used for high-end infra-red (IR) meters.

Inspector Madhukar Sawant of the Aurangabad crime branch said they had arrested 11 people, including consumers for power theft and were on the lookout for more. The alleged mastermind, an electrician Kishor Raikwar, has been arrested.

Officials said Raikwar would purchase remotes for as low as Rs 250 and sell them to consumers for amounts varying from Rs 4,000 to Rs 10,000.

Mahavitaran official said the unravelling of the supply chain could reveal more cases.

DCP Deepali Dhate-Ghadge said they had lodged six FIRs and sought data of consumers who had used under 30 units over the last six to seven months and the Mahavitaran's spot visit to panchanamas. The accused admitted that the meter readings were being manipulated since 2014-15.

"(It is) quite possible," said Ghadge when asked if the racket operated outside Aurangabad.

"High-frequency remotes can be used to disrupt meters or a parent circuit can be installed in meters to control it via remote," said a MahaVitaran official part of the raids.

Suresh Ganeshkar, chief engineer, Aurangabad zone, said 20,091 consumers had been found to with zero billing (no electricity use) in Aurangabad and Jalna last month, including 7,016 from Aurangabad city. However, this could also be because of the houses being shut or faulty meters. The number of consumers using between one to 30 units is 1.51 lakh, including 17,856 in Aurangabad city, which is "more serious."

The MahaVitaran has distribution losses of 14.75% in 2016-17. A significant portion of these losses come from power pilferage. It has a consumer base of 2.5 crore, including 1.70 crore residential users.