The remote switching relay installed inside the meter of the ice factory in Miri.
Modified wirings found inside the meter of a renowned supermarket in Sibu.
KUCHING: The recent meter inspection operations carried out by Syarikat Sesco Berhad (Sesco) in Sibu and Miri had uncovered several tampering methods used by unscrupulous business owners to greatly reduce their electricity bills.
According to a press release from Sesco, their highest and second highest losses were recorded in Sibu and Miri respectively.
Among the tampering methods discovered by the team was the usage of a remote switching relay with a receiver circuit board to bypass the meter’s counter which will then disrupt the full flow of electricity to the meter and will only register partial or a very minimal amount of the real electricity consumed by the customer.
It also said most of the cases detected were by repeated offenders who had been caught by Sesco and were under close monitoring.
In Miri, an ice factory at Taman RBA Industrial Lutong Baru and a mini market at Batu 8, Jalan Miri-Bintulu, were caught tampering with their meter by using the remote switching relay.
The mini mart, which is equipped with six air condition units and four big freezers, has been paying a ridiculously low monthly electricity bill of less than RM50.
The ice factory, on the other hand, only pays around RM1,000 for its monthly electricity usage.
In Sibu, a renowned supermarket located at Jalan Pahlawan was also caught using remote switching relay to steal electricity.
The same supermarket and its branches in Sibu, Sarikei and Bintulu are also in Sesco’s blacklist and under close monitoring for having tampered with electricity meters repeatedly within a span of few years.
The press release also said a report has been lodged with the police against all the offenders and an arrears bill will be issued to them to recover the losses in revenue.
Meanwhile, Sesco is reminding the public not to be duped by power theft service providers
as it is able to detect any tampering by using advanced detection tools and specialised training.
In addition, Sesco is also using smart meter, whereby warning alarms will be activated once there is any attempt to tamper with the meter and its wiring systems.
Stealing electricity is a dangerous crime punishable under the Electricity Ordinance Section 33(5) which carries the penalty of up to five years imprisonment or a fine of RM100,000 or both.