Caught in the act: Owner of private hospital arrested for gas theft

FIA, SSGC officials claim the medical centre was stealing gas worth Rs120,000 per month.

SUKKUR: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) raided Hira Medical Centre in Sukkur and arrested its owner on charges of gas theft. The medical centre had allegedly been involved in gas theft for the last six months.

On Wednesday, a team of FIA personnel, led by its deputy director, Abdul Hameed Bhutto, and accompanied by officials of the Sui Southern Gas Company, raided Hira Medical Centre situated on Barrage Road.

On inspection, the officials found that gas was being stolen from the main pipelines. The FIA arrested the owner of the medical centre, Dr Saeed Akhund, and registered FIR No. 67/2014 against him.

On Thursday, the accused was brought before the Sukkur civil judge and judicial magistrate to seek his remand. In the meantime, Dr Akhund's lawyer moved a bail application in the court, which was accepted.

According to Sukkur FIA deputy director Abdul Hameed, gas worth Rs150,000 per month was being stolen by the medical centre. He claimed the FIA had done its job by registering an FIR against the owner and now the case will be tried in the court of law.

SSGC's zonal manager Abdul Aziz Abro said that according to the utility's records, gas worth Rs120,000 per month was being stolen since the last six months.

Hira Medical Centre administrator Major (retd) Mujahid Hussain termed the raid an attempt to malign the medical centre. He added that the owner of the medical centre lives on the top floor of the hospital and one of the domestic gas meters was out of order since the last 15 days. "We should have fixed it earlier," he admitted.

Major (retd) Hussain said that the inspection teams checked the generators, which were being run on diesel and found them to be in order.

The commercial gas meter is being used to run apparatus for the sterilisation of operation theatre equipment, kitchen and laundry. According to him, the medical centre was paying over Rs2 million as electricity bill. "Why would we steal gas worth Rs40,000 to Rs50,000 per month?" he questioned.

He said that the raid was part of a conspiracy against the medical centre and they were investigating the matter to clear their position.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2014.