Bollywood actor Rati Agnihotri and her husband, Anil Virwani, have been booked by the Mumbai police on charges of electricity theft amounting to Rs 46.97 lakh, reported PTI. Investigators said the couple had installed a three-phase meter for their house, though on paper they stated that they were using a one-phase meter to pay less. They live in the Worli area of the financial capital.
The police said that the couple had been booked under Section 135 of the Electricity Act. A First Information Report was filed against the couple on the basis of the complaint filed by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking in the case. The police action follows an investigation conducted by the vigilance department of the civic body, which had filed a report against the couple. Deputy Commissioner of Police Pravin Padwal (Zone III) confirmed the development. The police will now call the accused to the police station for questioning.
Virwani said there had been “some misunderstanding”, and alleged that he was not given the chance to explain. “Neither me nor Rati nor my son Tanuj is in Mumbai right now. I was shocked when I learnt about the matter this afternoon. There has been some misunderstanding and I will address the issue when I return to the city,” he told The Times of India.
BEST chief vigilance officer RJ Singh said the electricity theft was carried out in a “sophisticated” manner. “At first glance, you will find no fault with the meter but when we removed it from its spot, we saw a small hole drilled on its rear. It was used to tamper with the meter and slow it down by up to 87%,” Singh told The Times of India.
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