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Friday March 29, 2024

86 pleas for cases of gas theft in Baghbanpura in three weeks

By Numan Wahab
May 05, 2016

LAHORE

It seems that that Baghbanpura area of the metropolis has become a hub of gas theft as officials of Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) have filed 86 petitions for registration of cases against alleged gas thieves of the vicinity before an additional district and sessions court within three weeks.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Aijaz Ahmed Bosal deals with petitions of 22a/22b of Baghbanpurra area. It is learnt that Baghbanpura area has become the centre of gas theft incidents as the number of petitions of Baghbanpura area has reached 86 within the last three weeks. 

In previous proceedings the judge had directed the SHO concerned to record the statement of SNGPL officials in 36 petitions while decision on 42 petitions was pending. However, on Wednesday, SNGPL filed seven more 22a/22b petitions before the said judge for registration of gas theft cases against persons who were not only stealing Sui gas but also supplying it to more than 400 houses of Baghbanpurra. 

SNGPL officials contended that the accused were stealing the gas for their factories and foundries and further supplying it to their servant houses and other residents of the locality.

Petitioners Sharafat Ali Chaudhary, Waqas Bukhari, Iftikhar Akbar, Maqsood Iqbal and others officials of SNGPL said that they along with their teams raided different parts of the Baghbanpura and found the accused stealing gas and supplying it to other houses.

They alleged that most of the accused were stealing gas for their factories, foundries and some of them like Muhammad Amanat, Muhammad Asif, Masroor Ahmed were supplying it illegally to more than 80, 68 and 25 houses respectively.

They implored that at the place of occurrence, the complainants along with their task force disconnected the bypass made illegally and the main line was repaired by the task force and all the articles used for theft were seized in the presence of the witnesses. They said the theft of gas caused heavy loss..

They said they visited the police station concerned to initiate the criminal proceedings against the accused and lodge FIRs against the aforesaid accused but the SHO did not pay heed to the applications.

The SNGPL officials prayed to the court to direct the SHO concerned to register FIRs against the aforesaid accused.