TOBA TEK SINGH: The Federal Investigation Agency arrested on Wednesday three officials of the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco) for billing millions of additional units to consumers.

The accused are Fesco’s first circle superintending engineer (SE) Muhammad Ameer, Jhang’s Athara Hazari sub-divisional officer (SDO) Ghulam Abbas and meter inspector Shafiq Ahmad.

According to an FIA spokesman, SE Muhammad Ameer was found guilty of billing of 15.8 million units illegally to farmers operating tubewells under the Salinity Control and Reclamation Programme.

He said Athara Hazari SDO and meter inspector were also responsible for sending inflated bills of Scarp tubewell farmers, by billing them 59,738 additional units.

He said raiding teams of FIA were daily visiting different area to detect involvement of Fesco staff in over billing and power theft.

He claimed that in a crackdown against power theft, raiding teams arrested four electricity thieves from Faisalabad, Chiniot, Khushab and Sargodha.

TOLL: Death toll in Tuesday night house fire in Ameer Town (Faisalabad) rose to four after another child who was burnt badly died in hospital on Wednesday.

Rescue 1122 said three siblings were burnt alive in the fire instantly while another girl, Noor Fatima (03), expired at the Allied Hospital on Wednesday.

Jaffar (38), father of the four, was also in serious condition.

Meanwhile, heaps of fuel wood and rice husk caught fire in Arzoo Textile Mills, Faisalabad, located on Jaranwala -Khurrianwala Road, on Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2024