Gas theft: Three illegal gas connections detected in Faisalabad

Gas worth millions of rupees stolen.

FAISALABAD: The anti-theft squad, headed by District Coordination Officer Najam Ahmad Shah, on Monday detected three illegal gas connections.

The raiding team, comprising district officers, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited engineers and Elite Force personnel, was supervised by District Officer Malik Mushtaq Ahmad and Assistant Commissioner Amer Shahzad.

The team raided an ice factory on Jaranwala Road and discovered that the owners Khwaja Maqsood and Khwaja Amanullah had been stealing gas through an illegal connection from the main supply pipeline.

SNGPL officials said that the connection had been used to run two heavy duty generators, big electric motors and other machinery on the stolen gas worth Rs5 to Rs6 million per year.

The factory was sealed and the gas installations confiscated.

Jaranwala police have registered against the owners, who have fled.

In another raid, the anti-theft squad detected gas theft at an embroidery unit and aluminum factory in Siddhupura.

Officials said factory owner Sohail Abbas had been stealing gas by tampering with the gas meter and regulator. The theft was estimated at Rs6 million per year.

In the third raid at a hosiery factory, owner Sharaf Din of Chohar Majra area was found stealing gas by attaching pipes to the main supply line. He had stolen Rs1.5 million worth of gas.

A case was registered against him with Ghulam Muhammadabad police.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2013.