The Sesco team inspecting meters after obtaining the warrant.
KUCHING: Syarikat Sesco Berhad was granted a warrant by a magistrates’ court to search and enter a plastic bottle factory at Jalan Teku in Sibu last week to inspect its meters after being denied entry by the factory workers several times.
According to a press statement, this was the second time Sesco had applied for the warrant from the court to enter the factory.
Last year, Sesco applied for the warrant to enter the factory and managed to inspect and replace the tampered meters.
However, the factory remained uncooperative to Sesco thereafter and this had caused difficulties for Sesco to take actual monthly meter readings and inspect the meters.
The operation included 15 Sesco technicians, Ministry of Public Utilities Electrical Inspectorate Unit (EIU) inspectors and Sesco’s contractors.
In the operation, the Sesco Meter Inspection Team found tampering signs on the meters and proceeded to replace and also shifted all the meters to the Sesco service pole outside the factory compound to give Sesco easier access to the meters.
All the said meters are under close monitoring by Sesco and are safely locked and sealed in Sesco’s metering cabinet, and any attempt to access them by unauthorised persons will be easily detected.
At the same time, the team also checked the meter of another property belonging to the company at Jalan Ding Lik Kong, which is used as management and logistics office.
The workers again did not allow the team to enter, but they relented in the end after being served the court warrant.
During the inspection, the team also found the seals of the meter had been tampered with and a foreign magnet attached to the back part of the meter, which was used to control a magnetic switch planted inside the meter. The meter and all relevant exhibits were seized for use as evidence in court.
Police reports have been lodged by the team on the meter tampering cases found at both premises, and the company will be called for interview to assist in the investigation.
Through the Ministry of Public Utilities, Sesco will initiate legal action against all defiant customers caught stealing electricity repeatedly.
Sesco is strictly monitoring all these repeated power theft offenders and will conduct regular meter checking exercises as part of its concerted efforts to curb them from re-tampering the meters.
The Ministry of Public Utilities and Sesco remind the public that stealing electricity is a crime and at the same time it endangers lives and can cause damage to customers’ electrical appliances which will lead to fire.
Sesco will continue to actively carry out meter inspection and investigation operation throughout the state with assistance from Ministry of Public Utilities and the police.
The public may report any power theft via Sesco hotline at 082-443535. All information will be kept strictly confidential.