KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, Feb 18: A mob of over 50 residents had taken a team of Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd (JBVNL) workers during an anti-power theft drive in Jugsalai on Friday morning.
After one of the power consumers was found tapping electricity, the consumer turned belligerent and mobilised the support of others who took hostage four members, including a female worker of the power company and also manhandled them.
The aggressive mob also destroyed the motorcycle of a JBVNL staff member and snatched away the power meter from those taken hostage. The victims were set free from the residents’ clutch after a police party reached the spot.
The incident took place at Gaddi Mohalla in the densely-populated Jugsalai, leading the JBVNL authority concerned to decide for carrying out a survey of the locality with the help of the police.
Revealing about the incident, assistant engineer, JBVNL, Jugsalai, Imran Murtaza said that acting on a tip-off that power theft was rampant in Gaddi Mohalla, he had sent a team of departmental workers to carry out a survey and snap off illegal power connection.
“The team of workers who included two linemen and a supervisor found consumer No 4178 to have drawn power lines from the pole unauthorisedly. As the supervisor summoned the consumer, the latter identified as Salam Gaddi and his family members started abusing the staff. Within minutes about 50 others turned up at the scene and took them hostage before manhandling them all, ” said Murtazaa.
The assistant engineer said that had the police not turned in time, then perhaps the mob would have caused more harm to his worker.
Murtaza said the drive against the power theft was being conducted at the direction of the JBVNL authority in Ranchi. He pointed out one of the victims has lodged an FIR against Salam Gaddi and others, urging the police to take appropriate action against the accused.
OC, Jugsalai thana, Tarun Kumar confirmed the power company staff being held hostage by a mob of residents in Gaddi Mohalla.
“A case is being registered against the accused who have fled their homes. We are trying to arrest them all,” said Kumar.
