KARACHI: SSGC continues to make major inroads against gas theft through raids across its franchise areas and prosecution in the court of law.

In a major legal development, Sindh High Court, Hyderabad Bench rejected the bail application of accused Hote Ali, who was charged for using gas directly for commercial purposes and sent him behind the bars. Prosecution Wing of Security Services and Counter Gas Theft Operations (SS&CGTO) Department contested the case.

SS&CGTO also conducted a joint raid of Dildar Pakwaan Centre, Scheme # 33, Karachi, where the owner Fahad Hussain was consuming gas directly through service line. Calculated connecting load was 200 cubic feet per hour. The raiding team severed the illegal connection. Summarily, FIR has been lodged against the owner by SSGC Police and theft claims are being raised.

Meanwhile, during an anti-gas theft operation, SSGC’s Customer Relations and Distribution East Zone teams uncovered a private pipe arrangement connected illegally with the Company’s 63 mm dia. main line to feed 150 houses in Gulshan-e-Moazzam in Bin Qasim Zone. During the raid, the teams removed the illegal connections for which the pilfered theft volume was calculated at 144,000 cubic meters per hour.

As many as 17 illegal connections were also removed in Karachi’s Nazimabad and Shah Latif Town localities with accumulated stolen gas volume was 16,320 cubic meter per year. Clamps and rubber pipes were removed and theft claims are accordingly being raised for recoveries from the miscreants.

Meanwhile, a joint action was taken by SS&CGTO, Customer Relations and Korangi Zone teams in Korangi and Jummah Goth area. Consequently, wide network of illegal pipes were recovered and service lines were killed during the operation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024