Locals had previously complained to the power distribution company, Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited (Desco), about the illegal power connection which led to the deaths of four people, including three from the same family, when the power cable fell into the waterlogged area in Mirpur on Thursday night.
They were electrocuted while walking through rainwater.
The issue of illegal electricity connection has come to the fore after the accident that happened in the Mirpur Jhilpar slum on Thursday night.
Local residents claimed they verbally complained to the electricity distribution company Desco, about these illegal connections.
However, officials did not take effective action, and this incident occurred due to their negligence. Locals said the power division cannot avoid responsibility for this situation. Desco denied the allegations and said whenever they find a stolen power line, their officials disconnect it immediately.
After locals made a verbal complaint to Desco about the stolen power line two years ago, this led to retaliation from individuals involved in the illegal power connection business.
A group led by Laila, Sufi, Shanti, Momen, and Alauddin in Jhilpar slum, Mirpur, has been making money for years by illegally connecting to multiple electricity poles in lane 2 of the Duip residential area in Mirpur-2. They have been able to carry out these unlawful activities by exerting influence over Desco officials, the police, city corporation officials, and local political figures.
The deceased's family members shared that after the accident on Thursday, both families were offered Tk10 lakh to prevent them from filing a case over the incident or making it public.
A local resident, who seeks anonymity said: “When four people got electrocuted and fell into the water, one of the organizers of the illegal electricity connection named Laila came to the roadside and disconnected the power from the pole. Otherwise, a more significant incident might have occurred.”
Sufi, Shanti, Momen, Alauddin, along with Laila, have all disappeared from Jhilpar slum since Friday. They all ran away.
Anik, who died in Thursday’s incident, his father filed a case with Mirpur Model Police Station on Friday alleging "death due to negligence".
Mirpur Model police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Mohsin said: “We are investigating who was negligent in the incident.”
Shahidul Islam, a teacher at Shirajia Islamia Madrasha, said: “We informed Desco officials about the stolen power line multiple times, but their actions were limited to disconnecting it temporarily. After they left, the illegal connectors would simply reconnect it. If they had taken permanent action, we wouldn't have had a stolen power line here. It's believed that Desco personnel may have also benefited from this illicit connection.”
“After the death of four individuals, Desco personnel came on Saturday, and removed the power line from the drain,” he added.
The teacher also said: “It took the loss of four lives for the electricity authorities to act. Let's see how long this commitment lasts.”
MA Hamid, secretary of Duip Residential Area in Mirpur-2, said: "The Desco authorities were verbally informed several times that the stolen line had been stolen from the electricity pole on Road no 2 in jhilpar slum area. In response to the information, the electricity pole on Road no 2 was replaced by the transformer and we were shifted to Road no 4."
"The electricity authorities already knew this. They have disconnected the service several times. However, apart from these actions, I haven't witnessed any further steps being taken. It seems like the same issue resurfaces after each disconnection, leaving me to deal with the frustration of multiple protests," he added.
When contacted, Desco Managing Director Kawsar Amir Ali said: "Whenever we come to know about a stolen line, it is disconnected. But in many cases, after being disconnected, many people connect to those lines again. Being locally influential, no one is willing to give information about them."
