Illegal connections: FIA shuts factory for stealing gas

The pipes had been laid in a tunnel which the factory had dug under the main road

HARIPUR: Officials of the Federal Investigation Agency on Tuesday afternoon unearthed three illegal gas lines which were being used by an industrial unit in Hattar Industrial Estate.

Subsequent to the discovery, the factory’s manager was arrested and the premises sealed. FIA Hazara Zone Inspector Yasir Khan told The Express Tribune that following an intelligence report and low-pressure complaints from residents of Hattar and Shadi village, a team of the authority conducted a raid.

Led by Deputy Director Naeem Khan, the FIA raided Alfazal Chemical Traders industry on Tuesday afternoon and found that the gas connection of the factory had been cut in 2011. However, the factory’s administration illegally obtained three connections using two-inch pipes for each of the three connections.

These pipes had been laid in a tunnel which the factory had dug under the main road and even had lighting.

Inspector Khan said the factory had taken a connection from the main pipeline, while the two pipes were tapping into the main supply lines to the Shadi and Hattar villages. They had been illegally using the gas for the last five years.

The FIA official said that a conservative estimate of the money the factory owed the utility was between Rs150 million to Rs200 million, making it potentially one of the biggest cases of gas theft in history.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2016.