Day after raids, ‘power theft worth Rs 1.3 crore by 4 mosques, 1 madrassa’ unearthed in Sambhal, claims district administration

The masjids and madrassa are near the “ancient temple” that has been reopened by the authorities after almost 50 years. The district administration reportedly stumbled upon the temple during the ongoing drive against power theft.

The district administration has carried out raids in localities in Sambhal. (Express Photo)

A day after raids were carried out in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal to check irregularities in electricity distribution in two localities, “theft” worth Rs 1.3 crore by four mosques and a madrassa in the area over the last year has been unearthed, the district administration said Sunday.

The masjids and madrassa are near the “ancient temple” that has been reopened by the authorities after almost 50 years. The district administration reportedly stumbled upon the temple during the ongoing drive against power theft.

On Saturday morning at 5 am, Sambhal District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya claimed that he noticed electricity being stolen in the area while he was conducting a loudspeaker check.

Two raids were also conducted in Sambhal’s Deepa Sarai and Nai Sarai localities by a joint team comprising officials from the police, the district administration and the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation to check power-theft incidents.

“Every year, electricity worth around Rs 300 crore is being supplied to Sambhal Nagar Palika area. The line loss is a staggering 72%. The biggest loss is occurring in areas such as Deepa Sarai and Miya Sarai (close to 85%),” an official, requesting anonymity, said.

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Pensiya told The Indian Express that since September, 1,250 FIRs had been lodged in the area relating to electricity theft.

According to the police, an “illegal power house” was also allegedly found on the top floor of one of the mosques. The power house was allegedly supplying electricity to over 100 houses in the area.

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In another mosque which has 59 fans, one fridge and 30 light points, the power meter has been allegedly turned off. “In our drive to stop the electricity theft, we found that people use five to six ways… of these, a few methods are new to us. We never knew electricity could be stolen this way,” Pensiya said.

He added: “People are intentionally getting their meters stolen and not paying their bills. They are also using the phase-change method to steal electricity. We also found instances of wires reaching the meter being bifurcated.”

Pensiya further informed that during the drive, they also found nearly 4,000 wires cut on the ground.

“To stop the theft, the Electricity Department and the government of UP have ordered laying of 20 kilometres of armed wire,” he said, while adding that the administration is currently tackling three issues simultaneously — encroachments, electricity theft, and noise from loudspeakers.

Nirbhay Thakur

Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023. Professional Background Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University. Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories. Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts. Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials. Recent notable articles In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories. 1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey. 2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation. 3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police. Signature Style Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public. X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read More

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