A businessman was booked in Jalna district for allegedly stealing electricity worth Rs 25 lakh, an official said on Thursday.

Bhagwat Bawane owns a firm called Rajwardhan Agro in Gundewadi village, which allegedly stole 57,930 units of electricity amounting to Rs 25.52 lakh, he said.

"The theft came to light during an inspection by a team of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd on February 5. Incidentally, on June 26, 2021, he was booked for allegedly stealing 3.86 lakh units of electricity worth Rs 1.49 crore. A case was registered against him under Section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003 at the time," the official said.

Sadar police is probing further, he said, adding that Bawane is a functionary of the local BJP.