Major Electricity Theft Network Allegedly Operating in Karachi’s Manghopir Marble Industrial Zone

KARACHI: A large-scale electricity theft network has allegedly been operating in the Manghopir Marble Industrial Zone of Karachi, with claims of involvement by some officials of K-Electric, causing monthly losses worth hundreds of thousands of rupees to the national exchequer.

According to sources, the network is reportedly active in the West District’s Manghopir Marble Industrial Zone, where electricity theft is being carried out on a large scale through alleged collusion between individuals identified as Rizwan Momand and Zahir Momand and certain officials of K-Electric.

Sources claimed that the accused individuals have been charging industrial units on a fixed monthly basis by manipulating electricity meters. It was alleged that factories receiving bills of around Rs2 million were being charged Rs700,000 to Rs800,000 monthly, while units with bills ranging between Rs1 million and Rs1.5 million were allegedly charged Rs500,000 to Rs600,000.

It was further alleged that meters were being reversed and records were regularly erased with the involvement of certain utility officials.

Local factory owners reportedly declined to comment when approached for their stance on the matter.

Sources also claimed that the individuals involved had previously faced raids by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), but had managed to evade arrest by relocating to different areas, including parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, resuming operations after the situation normalized.

In response, a spokesperson for K-Electric said that action against electricity theft and defaulters is being carried out on a daily basis. The spokesperson stated that in the past two months alone, 14 anti-theft operations were conducted in Manghopir’s industrial and residential areas, removing nearly 1,000 kilograms of illegal connections (“kundas”).

The spokesperson added that electricity theft not only causes financial losses to the national economy but also poses serious safety risks. Citizens can report such activities through K-Electric’s “Speak Up” platform, and whistleblower identities are kept confidential. The company reiterated that strict action is taken against those involved in electricity theft.