KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) recorded a loss of almost RM5 million in its last financial year due to various activities involving electricity theft, said its general manager (Asset Management), Ahmad Fuad Md Kasim.
Of this amount, he said the illegal act of tampering with meters among registered consumers, was the biggest contributor at RM2.5 million.
“For this case, SESB organised 306 raids on domestic and commercial premises between Sept 1, 2011 and Aug 31 this year.
“SESB also undertook 17 joint operations with the Energy Commission within this period with the cases being brought to court to claim for the losses,” he told a media conference here yesterday.
Apart from the tampering of meters, Ahmad Fuad said the SESB was also faced with the problem of illegal electrical connections, which brought about an estimated loss of RM1.7 million to the company in the last financial year.
He said squatter areas had been identified as those frequently indulging in the illegal connections, particularly in Kota Kinabalu, Semporna, Lahad Datu, Sandakan and Tawau.
“Apart from conducting raids and surprise checks, SESB is also trying to determine the best method of overcoming the activity of illegal connections in the squatter areas as it is difficult to control,” he added. — Bernama