Sambhal, a historic district in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad division—roughly 158 km from New Delhi, with its administrative hub in Bahjoi—has long been a tinderbox of unrest. Sambhal made headlines a couple of years ago due to violent clashes during an ASI survey near the Shahi Jama Masjid. The district grabbed attention again a couple of weeks back after authorities uncovered massive power theft using a hitherto unseen modus operandi.
A Shocking Parallel Power System Unearthed
What appeared as routine line losses unveiled a covert “mini power station” in a late-night joint raid by Purvanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PVVNL), district administration, and police. Illegally tapped from main power lines on poles, stolen electricity surged through concealed underground cables under streets and homes, powering at least 25 residences and 20 commercial spots—including shops, a mosque, milk dairies, and illicit e-rickshaw chargers—with transformer-like gear regulating a massive 50 kW load. This ingenious evasion masked abnormal consumption, driving losses to nearly 50% in hotspots like Raisatti, Deepa Sarai, Sarai Tareen, Nawabkhel, Gunnaur, and Babrala. Triggered by audit digs beneath roads after flagged anomalies—unusual load spikes and prolonged high losses—teams seized cables, equipment, and disconnected lines on-site, vowing property seizures and strict prosecutions.
Massive Scale and Heavy-Handed Response
This breakthrough ignited broader dawn operations across 101 sites, unmasking 3,220 cases over 16 months (September 2024–December 2025), with 37,795 kW pilfered and ₹19.93 crore fined—yet recovery stalls at a meager ₹4.4 crore. Twelve teams, armed with ladders for rooftop climbs, drones, PAC forces, and robust policing, probed over 500 structures: Mustafa Mosque ran ACs and heaters illicitly; locked homes masked neighborhood feeds; water rods and bypassed cables abounded. Unlike skeletal escorts in routine national raids, Sambhal’s ops demanded full police mobilization, anticipating fierce pushback from entrenched thieves—a chilling testament to normalized lawlessness, especially as winter chills spike heater use, courting accidents, blackouts, and soaring tariffs.
Institutional Failures and Probing Complicity
Junior engineers and linemen now face scrutiny for glaring oversights, despite 100 km of armored cables and 35,000 smart meters. Post-2024 violence, drives even targeted influential addresses, but theft persists, eroding public coffers and equity. Officials urge public tips to slash line losses to 10-15%, yet the racket’s sophistication—from underground webs to e-rickshaw hubs—signals deep entrenchment.
A Pattern Demanding Alarm
Regional Hindi dailies blare warnings on this resource hemorrhage; national outlets tread lightly, perhaps deterred by worship sites implicated. Sambhal’s arc—from heritage-fueled bloodshed to electrified shadows—screams for overhaul: bolstered vigilance, accountability, and reforms before defiance spirals into catastrophe. The stakes, for a district steeped in history, have never been graver.
Whom to blame.
The primary agency at fault here is PVVN. If they cannot effectively manage electricity distribution, it would be better to privatize the sector entirely. While privatization may not eliminate power theft, it would far outperform the inertia-plagued, lethargic performance of this government-run company. Time and again, such entities have proven incapable of curbing electricity theft.
Just 150 km away in the national capital, distribution losses have been reduced to single digits through superior management. Yet in north India, where cold winters drive people to run heaters illegally and scorching summers prompt air conditioner theft, hooligans pilfer power regardless of the season. The massive, systematic power theft racket uncovered in Sambhal—where perpetrators operated a parallel electricity distribution network—is utterly mind-boggling. Are we truly in the 21st century, boasting moon missions and Mars ambitions, powered by AI and data science, while UP’s power companies fail to stop these criminals?
It is high time to declare loudly that power distribution and loss control are not for amateurs. Surrender the sector to competent private players who can deliver uninterrupted supply at moderate rates with minimal losses.
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