CEB collects over Rs. 25m from power pirates

COLOMBO: The Ceylon Electricity Board has recovered over Rs. 25 million it had lost due to power piracy during the last two months following a series of raids carried out by the CEB Flying Squad in different parts of the country.

A total of 174 suspects were taken into custody during these raids conducted with the help of the police.

According to the CEB Flying Squad Chief Ruban Wickramaarachchi some of the suspects had adopted the most devious methods to tap electricity. Some of CEB employees too had been working hand in glove with the power pirates to instal crooked meters.

A posh night club in the city had been bleeding the CEB for Rs. 2.4 million through meter rigging.

They also raided a massage parlour at Duplication Road which was operating on illegally tapped electricity. Most of the premises raided bore respectable facades such as Restaurants, hotels etc. Five saw mills in the Veyangoda area too were caught with meter by-passing.

The detected loss during the months of January and February amounted to over Rs. 25.2 million, to the CEB.

The CEB Flying Squad Chief observed that the detections were only the tip of the iceberg. If the full magnitude of the racket is unearthed the CEB would find its losses to be astronomical.