Four employees of power discom BSES have been booked by the Delhi Police for threatening to implicate a man in a false case of electricity theft.

The four were posted at the company's Karkardooma office.

Rampal Singh, a resident of Karawal Nagar in Anand Vihar, had two power meters, one residential and the other commercial, installed at his residence.

On August 16, 2007, the commercial one went kaput. Singh contacted BSES's Karawal Nagar office and a technician cut the power cable from the damaged meter and connected it directly to a nearby pole. He was assured that till the meter was repaired, Singh could pay the bill on the basis of the average of past bills.

On August 8, 2007, the cable got damaged. The company replaced the cable. But soon after, four officials of the company, assistant manager N. K. Sharma, assistant manager C. B. Singh, assistant manager S. P. Sharma and engineer N. S. Bhangahri, inspected the residence of the complainant.

Singh explained the matter to them. The officials, however, demanded a bribe of Rs 50,000 and threatened to implicate him in a false case of electricity theft, he alleged.

Singh showed them the receipts issued by the company at the time of supplying electricity to his house directly from the pole. "When I refused to pay the bill, the officials prepared a false bill of Rs 3.35 lakh and Rs 1.01 lakh against me and threatened to sell my house if I failed to pay the sum within 24 hours," Singh said.

Singh informed the matter to the general manager of the company, who ordered a high-level inquiry. Singh also moved court and filed a civil suit against the officials.

After the inquiry report came out, the company waived the shocking bills Singh had received.

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in