Another private society found involved in gas theft

FIA registers case against a dozen individuals after raid

RAWALPINDI:

The anti-electricity and gas theft unit of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Islamabad has registered cases of gas theft against over a dozen individuals associated with farm houses at the Islamabad Farming Cooperative Society in Sector D-17 of the federal capital, it emerged Wednesday.

The department said that it conducted a raid at the main line supplying gas to the society and found illegal connections that were used to steal gas worth ‘tens of millions of rupees’.

An official said the raid was conducted on the complaint of the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL).

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They said that gas was being stolen in an area of more than 2 km and supplied to farmhouses in the private society. The official said the team had removed the illegal connections.
Officials said they were yet to rule out involvement of SNGPL staff in the theft and were conducting raids to arrest the accused.

The discovery comes on the heels of another such revelation on Sunday, when the SNGPL said it had found a 1.5-km illegal pipeline extending from Japan Road Kangota Syedan Village to a private housing society in Islamabad. A spokesperson had said that gas meters were shifted to the newly-established society from another area in a bid to give off the impression that the society had access to gas.

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Following the disconnection of the line, residents in surrounding areas said the gas supply to their homes had improved substantially.

On the same day, Rawalpindi police in an action against suspected drug peddlers, bootleggers, illegal weapon holders and other lawbreakers arrested 15 accused.

They also recovering over eight kgs of hashish, 25 liters of liquor, ammunition and other items from their possession.

Separate cases have been registered against them.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2023.