10 September,2026 06:16 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
MSEDCL detects 27,964 power theft cases in June-August, issues Rs 66.28 crore bills. Representational pic
The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) on Thursday announced that they have intensified its crackdown on electricity theft across Maharashtra.
In an official statement, MSEDCL said it has implemented a combination of artificial intelligence (AI)-based predictive analysis and physical inspections, detecting 27,964 cases of power theft involving Rs 66.28 crore over a three-month period.
Officials from MSEDCL said the action was carried out from June to August as part of an aggressive campaign aimed at reducing electricity losses and recovering outstanding dues. MSEDCL has deployed more than 190 flying squads across the state to act on leads generated through its newly developed AI and Machine Learning (ML) module.
Moving beyond conventional inspection methods, MSEDCL's dedicated AI module analyses more than 50 technical parameters around the clock to identify potential cases of electricity theft.
The system examines factors such as historical electricity consumption, sudden increases or decreases in demand, and anomalies that could indicate meter tampering.
Consumers showing unusual consumption patterns are automatically classified as 'high-risk', allowing enforcement teams to focus their inspections on specific locations without first conducting extensive manual surveys.
The AI-based approach is intended to improve the accuracy of inspections and help MSEDCL identify suspected electricity theft more efficiently.
MSEDCL highlighted that the intelligence generated by the AI system is being followed up by more than 190 specialised flying squads deployed across Maharashtra. The squads include personnel from MSEDCL's Operations and Maintenance (O&M) as well as Security and Enforcement divisions.
MSEDCL has also digitised the enforcement process through its Theft Tracking and Monitoring System (TTMS) mobile application. The system records the process from inspection through penalty assessment and recovery.
Inspection details, live photographs, digital panchnamas, immediate disconnection of electricity supply, and penalty recovery details are uploaded to the application in real time. According to MSEDCL, the digital process is aimed at improving transparency and reducing the scope for negligence during enforcement action.
During the three-month campaign, power theft was detected across all four major MSEDCL regions:
Of the 27,964 theft cases detected, assessment bills totalling Rs 66.28 crore were issued in 24,508 verified cases. As per the official statement, "MSEDCL has so far recovered Rs 29.85 crore from 10,810 settled cases."
The power distribution company has warned consumers who fail to pay the assessed electricity charges and applicable compounding fees within the stipulated period of strict legal action.
"So far, 289 criminal cases have been registered under Section 135 of the Electricity Act against alleged offenders who failed to clear their dues," MSEDCL highlighted.
Electricity theft is a punishable offence under the law and can attract financial penalties as well as imprisonment of up to three years, depending on the circumstances of the offence.
Lokesh Chandra, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister and Chairman and Managing Director of MSEDCL, said that the company is targeting a reduction in its Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses to below 10 per cent over the next three years.
He added, "The company is prioritising the recovery of outstanding dues and has launched an aggressive campaign against electricity theft across Maharashtra."
According to Chandra, the newly developed AI module has strengthened MSEDCL's ability to identify suspected theft and improve the precision of its enforcement operations.
The integration of AI-based detection, field-level inspections, and real-time digital monitoring marks a shift in MSEDCL's strategy from conventional, survey-based inspections towards data-driven enforcement against electricity theft.
