THE Jamaica Public Service (JPS) has only been able to collect $2.3 million from five of eight business operators who owe the light and power company $50 million for electricity theft, some for up to six years without detection.

One of the businesses, a Kingston juice company, owes the light and power company $36.7 million – the bulk of the arrears, the JPS said.

The others are:

. a Negril hotel owing $3.8 million;

. a Montego Bay supermarket which has a bill of $3.7 million;

. a Montego apartment complex which owes $591,178;

. a Kingston bakery, owing $1 million;

. a St Mary fried chicken business that owes $1.6 million;

. a Kingston catering institute which owes $1.8 million; and

. a Portmore business which owes the JPS $542, 000 for illegal connection over a period of two years.

According to JPS, the eight business customers conducted irregularities ranging from direct connection to power lines to line tapping.

“The businessmen have used very sophisticated methods of stealing electricity which precluded us from detecting the theft for so long,” said JPS’s communications director Winsome Callum.

The light and power company, Callum said, has now intensified its efforts by using modern technology to crack down on electricity theft.

Some of the business operators, the JPS said, have been brought before the courts for stealing electricity, while others have made arrangements with the company to pay off the amount owed for stolen electricity.

“Over the last few weeks we have identified these businesses and found them to be stealing electricity. Some of them had made direct contact with our power lines, others had bypassed the (light) meter,” Callum said.

“.Some of them have court cases pending for the o

ffence as action has been taken by the police, while others have entered into agreement with JPS to pay the estimated amount,” Callum said.

Since January 78 people have been arrested for stealing electricity from the JPS. Over the same period, the company conducted 3,400 investigations on metered accounts, and found 1,000 irregularities. These irregularities included bypasses of which a significant portion of the customers’ electricity was not metered.