₹22,000 power bill: Kasaragod man rips fuses from 30 transformers, plunges 6,000 houses into darkness
On Friday morning, Ganesh Kumar instructed his staff to disconnect the supply to his house.
On Friday morning, Ganesh Kumar instructed his staff to disconnect the supply to his house.
On Friday morning, Ganesh Kumar instructed his staff to disconnect the supply to his house.
Kasaragod: A man in his late twenties, upset over a ₹22,000 electricity bill, plunged nearly 6,000 homes into darkness on Friday evening by pulling out and smashing fuses from 30 transformers across Kasaragod town and its outskirts.
KSEB officials in the Kasaragod and Nellikkunnu sections were baffled when calls poured in from Kasaragod town and Madhur panchayat reporting outages. “Such a large-scale blackout happens only if there’s a problem in the feeder or the HT line. Both were fine, yet vast pockets had gone dark,” said an official in the Kasaragod section.
It took nearly two hours for linemen to understand what had happened.
The man, a resident of Choori in Madhur panchayat, usually receives a bimonthly bill of ₹18,000 to ₹20,000, said Nellikkunnu Assistant Engineer Ganesh Kumar. This cycle, the bill came to ₹22,000. Despite repeated reminders, he continued to refuse to pay. “The staff who called him started getting abusive messages on WhatsApp,” said the engineer.
On Friday morning, Ganesh Kumar instructed his staff to disconnect the supply to his house.
Around 4 pm, the man arrived at the Nellikkunnu section office, created a ruckus, and stormed out. What followed was a trail of vandalism that left KSEB staff stunned.
He allegedly drove through Police Station Junction, Madhur Road, Choori, Ulliathadka, Chowki, then hit NH 66, and Kasaragod town, yanking out fuses from transformer after transformer. Each transformer carries six to nine fuses -- he pulled every single one, threw them onto the road and smashed them.
He then crossed into the Kasaragod section and repeated the act in Theruvathu, Thayalangadi, Malik Dinar, Convent Junction (near the railway station) and Lakshmi Nagar (behind the station) -- including the densely populated Thalangara. Officials said 24 transformers under Nellikkunnu and six under Kasaragod were targeted. With each transformer catering to around 200 houses, over 6,000 homes were affected, they said.
KSEB began receiving distress calls from 5 pm. But only around 6.15 pm did the picture become clear.
“A resident called in saying he saw a man in a dark T-shirt pulling out fuses,” said Ganesh Kumar. “We immediately connected and informed the police.”
Police said the man was arrested on his way back home. He appeared disturbed and was sent for a medical examination.
By 8 pm, KSEB restored power to all affected areas. “In my career, I have never seen anything like this,” said the assistant engineer.
The man faces charges of damaging public property, interfering with electrical installations without permission, and endangering public safety.