A Navi Mumbai resident paid ₹7 lakh as payment and penalty for stealing 34,465 units of electricity to keep his home air-conditioners running 24/7 for the comfort of his pedigreed dogs, officials said on Saturday.
The man, whose name was not revealed by the State-run Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited, has several foreign breeds of dogs as pets, they said.
“We zeroed in on him after receiving a tip-off about power theft,” said an official, adding: “We took action under section 135 (electricity theft) of the Electricity Act, 2003. He paid ₹7 lakh as payment and penalty for stealing 34,465 units of power.”
