Former Enugu Disco worker arrested for bypassing and tampering with prepaid meters in Anambra

A former employee of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC), Lawrence Okeke, has been arrested for allegedly bypassing and tampering with prepaid meters for the EEDC customers in Onitsha, Anambra State.

He was accused of replacing original meter sensors with fake ones, which enabled him to bypass the meters and prevent them from accurately recording customers’ consumption.

The illegal activity resulted in significant revenue loss for the distribution company.

Mr. Emeka Ezeh, Head of Corporate Communications at EEDC, in a statement on Thursday, July 11, said the company’s Meter Monitoring Team discovered the fraud during a routine inspection, following a tip-off from a whistleblower.

At one of the customer’s premises visited at Bida Road, Onitsha, they discovered that the meter was bypassed, and the original meter sensor removed and replaced with the fake one.

While the team interrogated the customer who already admitted their findings, the customer gave out the identity and contact of the individual that performed the bypass as Lawrence Okeke, who happens to be an ex-staff of EEDC.

Immediately, Lawrence was tracked and arrested, and handed over to the Central Police Station, Onitsha, where he is currently assisting the Police in their investigation.

According to Ezeh, Lawrence Okeke who hails from Adogba Village in Awgu Local Government Area, Enugu State, was disengaged from EEDC in December 2020 for gross misconduct.