Man kills brother over power bill

Gujranwala shocked by fatal dispute over share in payment

GUJRANWALA:

A man fatally slit the throat of his younger brother over a dispute about excessive electricity bill in Gujranwala.

Closed-circuit television (CCCTV) footage of the incident also surfaced.

The incident occurred in the Prince Road area, where three brothers, Ghulam Murtaza, Umar Farooq and Ejaz, lived together in a house.

According to local sources, the family had received an electricity bill of Rs21,000 for June, which they had got divided into instalments, leaving a balance of Rs8,000.

However, this month's bill was Ra30,000. Umar Farooq said the three brothers should pay equal shares, with the deadline being July 23.

Umar asked his brother for his share of the bill, which led to a dispute over the payment.

The sources said Umar had told his elder Murtaza to quit drinking and pay his share of the electricity bill, which enraged him.

Murtaza using a sharp-edged weapon to slit his throat, killing him.

Upon receiving information about the incident, the police sent the body for post-mortem.

According to the police, the suspect Murtaza had a dispute with his brother over the payment of the excessive electricity bill.

CCTV footage of the incident showed Murtaza attacking his brother Umar with a sharp object, resulting in his death.

The deceased, Umar Farooq, was the father of two children, while his wife had left him due to his unemployment and failure to contribute to household expenses.

The dispute arose when Murtaza said he was only using one fan, so why should he pay so much.

The brother of the deceased, Ejaz, said that he had lost both his brothers, one to murder and the other to punishment, but the real culprit was the maddeningly high electricity bill.

He questioned how they could pay the bills, as they worked hard doing embroidery and sewing, and their earnings are meagre.

Residents of the neighbourhood lamented that the people were falling victim to poverty and evening losing their lives despite paying so many taxes.

Area SHO Imtiaz Bhinder said the accused had been taken into custody and evidence was being collected to begin the investigation.

The official said the suspected murderer appeared to be an addict.

He said the murder weapon would be recovered and presented in court, followed by legal proceedings.

To ease the burden of the excessive electricity cost on the citizens, the Punjab government has announced plans to launch a solar panel financing scheme from August 14 to lower their monthly charges.

The participants of a meeting were informed earlier this week that solar panels would initially be provide to over 100,000 electricity consumers through balloting.

The scheme targets consumers with electricity consumption between 200 and 500 units per month. The government has stipulated that households with multiple electricity connections or those involved in electricity theft will be ineligible.

The power distribution companies will also verify that the applicants are not defaulters.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz emphasised the importance of expediting the preparatory work for the scheme's launch and indicated that the scope of the financing programme would be gradually expanded.

"The prices of wheat flour and electricity significantly impact the economic conditions of our people," said the chief minister. "I want every citizen of Punjab to get relief on their electricity bill," she had said.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had underscored a universal struggle with high electricity bills.