LAHORE, Oct 20: Angered by high electricity bills for September, power consumers on Monday ransacked and put on fire a Lahore Electric Supply Company office on the Shershah Road.

The protesters, most of them from China Scheme and Gujjarpura areas, termed new bills inflated.

However, Lesco officials said the consumers had erroneously taken the recent increase in tariff as overbilling.

Witnesses said the staff, led by SDO Malik Faizan escaped, leaving the office at the mercy of mob.

Rescue 1122 fire-fighters controlled the fire, which had burnt all record and some furniture.

Around 150 people, including women with bills in their hands reached the Madina Town office at around 9:30am and complained against excessive billing and shouted slogans against Wapda officials.

The protesters, armed with sticks, again turned up at around 11:30am, entered the office, removed furniture, equipment and record from the rooms, gathered it at one place and set it on fire.

Hundreds of protesters of the same area also gathered outside the Lahore Press Club and held a demonstration against the Lesco staff for overbilling.

Civil Lines SP Sohail Akhtar Sokhera said the protesters alleged that Lesco had charged them four times.

He said the angry mob set on fire some furniture comprising tables and chairs but no one was injured in the incident.