Power staffer roughed up in row over bill payment

Hyderabad: In an incident on Friday, an electricity employee was beaten up by a local resident while visiting a house in the city to record the power consumption from the electricity meter.

A resident of Sanath Nagar quarrelled with the electricity employee, and it turned violent when the latter asked to pay for an unpaid electricity bill. The incident occurred when Energy Department employee Sai Ganesh visited Ramulu's residence to collect a pending bill of Rs 6,858. Upon Ramulu's refusal to pay, Ganesh proceeded to disconnect the electricity supply to the house.

This action triggered Ramulu's son, Muralidhar Rao (19), a trained kickboxer, who then physically confronted Ganesh and assaulted him. On receiving information, the police reached the spot and began an investigation. The police said that the victim received injuries to his face and eye due to a physical assault by the resident. He was provided medical treatment immediately.

TSSPDCL chairman and managing director, Musharaff Ali, called the injured electricity employee to his office and inquired about his health condition. The chairman warned that legal action would be taken against those who attacked the electricity officers and staff on duty and prevented them from performing their duties.