In 2015, the law enforcement authorities of Penza region launched 12 criminal cases on theft of power equipment belonging to Penzaenergo, a branch of IDGC of Volga, PJSC (a member of Rosseti Group). Total damage on 13 theft cases amounted to 226.5 thousand rubles. Thieves stole power cables and elements of transform substations which were further sold or going to be sold to scrape metal points. In early March 2015 near Vtoroye Otdeleniye settlement a thief stole a sectional unit SP-10 kV owned by the production department of Penzaenergo. However, his plans were failed as the man was caught by the police.

In villages Blinovka and Vladykino of Kamensky district aluminum wires A-35 and A-50 of total length about two kilometers were stolen. As a result, one of the local farms and seven houses on Kamennaya Gora street were left without electricity.

In all three cases the criminals were acting on their own. Currently, three of the 12 cases launched in 2015 have been solved. All the guilty have been punished.

 Specialists of Penzaenergo branch warn that theft of equipment constituting part of power facilities, theft of electricity and illegal hookups to tap to electrical networks can cause serious injury or death from electric shock, thus posing a huge safety risk to both thieves and the general public. Besides, an illegal connection, that is the drawing or tapping of power from the electrical mains, can easily cause short circuits that often cause fires, or voltage drops, or electrical failure or malfunction of household appliances.

Once again, power sector specialists remind that unauthorized electricity consumption is a punishable offense, and an offender can be prosecuted under applicable criminal law. If you have witnessed or have information about illegal connections, unauthorized power consumption or theft of power equipment, please contact your local office of Penzaenergo or call the HOTLINE 8-800-700-18-12.