Police question hotel manager

BANDUNG: Police here have questioned the manager of a four- star hotel over electricity theft.

West Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Muryan Faisal said there was evidence the electricity meter in the hotel had been tampered with.

"The state electricity company (PLN) suffered Rp 3 billion (US$350,000) in losses from the offense," he said.

If found guilty of tampering with the meter, the hotel manager could be sentenced to three years in prison or fined Rp 100 million, on top of having to compensate PLN Rp 3 billion for its losses.

Police recently launched an operation to crack down on electricity theft in the West Java capital.

"The operation has netted 4,000 people who were inflicting a total of Rp 5 billion in losses on PLN," Muryan said. -- JP