Representative image of a police van
Credit: iStock Photo
Bhadohi (UP): A case has been registered against eight employees of the electricity department here, including a Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) and a Junior Engineer (JE), on charges of issuing an inflated electricity bill, molesting a woman, and vandalizing her house on the pretext of disconnecting power supply, police said on Tuesday.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhimanyu Mangalik said that Sajid Ali (44), from Ghosia Nagar in Aurai area, had filed a petition in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) on July 22, 2024.
Following a hearing, CJM Sabiha Khatoon on Tuesday directed the registration of a case against SDO Deepak Patel, JE Manish Singh, and department employees Dharmendra, Sumit Patel, Manoj Kumar, and employees of the police station of the Electricity Department --- Balmeet, Manoj Rai, Ajay Kumar, he said.
In compliance with the court order, a case has been registered against the eight government employees under various sections, including charges of cheating, molestation, and criminal intimidation, the SP said, adding that the matter is being investigated.
According to Ali’s petition, the accused had allegedly taken Rs 7,500 on December 10, 2019, to provide an electricity connection to his shop but did not install a meter.
Later, on December 24, 2020, a case was registered against him for alleged electricity theft, and a bill of Rs 1,32,470, including a fine, was sent to him, the SP said citing the complaint.
Ali further alleged that on the same day, Deepak, Sumit, and Manish forcibly entered his house to disconnect the power supply, molested his wife, and vandalized the property.
When his wife raised an alarm, local women intervened and rescued her, he claimed.