Electricity theft refers to the unauthorized use of electricity without paying for it.
Electricity theft can take many forms, including tampering with electricity meters, bypassing electricity meters, and tapping into overhead power lines.
Hot electricity theft, in particular, is a dangerous form of electricity theft that poses serious risks to both the thieves and innocent people. Hot electricity theft involves stealing electricity from live power lines, which is extremely dangerous and potentially deadly. Thieves often use metal hooks or wires to tap into overhead power lines, risking electrocution or even death.
These activities can cause overloading of electrical circuits, leading to fires and other safety hazards. The financial losses to power utilities may lead to the increased electricity tariffs for honest consumers.
Photograph 1: Example of hot electricity theft by tapping on the main power supply busbars (red arrows)
Photograph 2: Following the hot electricity theft, a fire had ensued from the electrical panel (red arrow) of this Bitcoin mining operations.
