An electricity subscriber in Magura was left stunned after receiving a bill of Tk506.83 crore for consuming just 235 units of electricity in a single month.
The bill was issued for the month of September 2026 by the Arpara Zonal Office of Magura Palli Bidyut Samiti in the name of Mst Aleya Khatun, a resident of Kechuadubi village under Maghi Union in Magura Sadar Upazila.
Aleya Khatun is the wife of Shahidul Islam, a retired teacher from the village. According to the billing document, the previous meter reading on 8 August was 160, whilst the present reading on 8 September was recorded as 395.
The abnormal bill shocked the subscriber and her family members, triggering intense discussion, criticism, and widespread sensation throughout the locality.
A breakdown of the statement revealed that whilst the actual electricity consumed over the month was 235 units, an astonishing demand charge of Tk 482,69,63,422 was added alongside the standard usage charge.
In addition, Value Added Tax (VAT) was set at Tk 24,13,48,171, alongside a meter rent of Tk10, taking the total payable bill to Tk506.83 crore.
The statement further warned that failure to pay within the deadline would push the bill, including late payment surcharges, to Tk530.96 crore. In reality, the actual charge for 235 units of power consumption should have been Tk1,963, or Tk2,056 with the late payment fee included.
Reacting to the incident, Mst Aleya Khatun said that the document was not merely a phantom bill but completely absurd.
She added that the whims and carelessness of the electricity department are escalating anxiety and suffering for consumers, stressing that remedies for such mistakes are essential.
Admitting the error, Md Rezaul Karim, deputy general manager (DGM) of the Arpara Zonal Office of Magura Palli Bidyut Samiti, confirmed the authenticity of the event.
Rezaul explained that following a meter replacement, digits from the new meter’s seal number were mistakenly entered into the demand charge field, resulting in the absurdly high calculation. He added that the bill was rapidly corrected and that Mst Aleya Khatun has since paid the actual revised amount.
