The Magistrate Court 3, sitting in Abayi, Aba, Abia State has remanded a staff of APL Electric Company Limited (APLE), owned by Geometric Power in prison custody over alleged energy theft.

The accused, Ifeaka Anagha, an APLE operations and maintenance superintendent (OMS), was said to have according to intelligence received in January, allegedly conspired with a Maximum Demand (MD) customer, Sunday Anudu to engage in energy theft.

Information has it that Anudu operates a business called Big Fish, located on Fish Avenue, off Umuojima Road, Osisioma and that the energy theft was coordinated during late and early morning production hours, resulting in revenue loss for APLE.

According to the prosecutor, when APLE management notified the Osisioma Police Division, a joint monitoring team comprising APLE’s Geometric Security Services (GSS) and Revenue Protection Department (RPD) was formed to work with the police.

“On Tuesday, March 10, at approximately 8:45 p.m., the joint team arrested the OMS, Ifeaka Anagha, at the MD customer’s facility.

An aide to the M’ customer was also arrested after reportedly denying the monitoring team access to verify the meter.

“Subsequent checks by the RPD team at the premises indicated that the customer was on supply and production, but the meter registered zero consumption across all three phases.

“The suspects were taken to the Osisioma Police Station. The MD customer, Sunday Anudu, has been invited by the police for questioning.”

Anagha was subsequently charged to Magistrate’s Court 3 in Abayi, Aba under the Miscellaneous Offences Act.

When the charges were read to him, the defendant pleaded not guilty.

The presiding Magistrate declined to try the case under the Miscellaneous Offences Act, ruling that it should be tried under the Criminal Code as the complainant is a private company.

The court however granted the defendant bail under stringent conditions, which were not immediately met.

Consequently, the defendant was remanded at the Aba Correctional Center pending the fulfillment of the bail terms, while the case was adjourned to April 22, for hearing. (The Sun)