SSGC’s technical teams along with its police raided Chai Gulab Hotel located in Jalali Muhalla, Pathan Colony, Karachi, and arrested its owner Shams-ul-Haq on charges of a direct gas connection after an FIR was lodged against him.
Rubber, plastic pipes and other items used in the direct gas theft for running the hotel have also been confiscated as case property. In two cases, the Special Gas Utility Court, Karachi, ensured recovery of the complete quantum of loss of gas to the tune of Rs654,000 from accused Muhammad Saad and recovery of quantum of gas for Rs238,500 out of Rs477,400 from Habib Ali before granting them post-arrest bail.
The two individuals were nominated in FIRs lodged at the SSGC Police Station on charges of power generation for commercial purposes. The Prosecution Wing of Security Services and Counter Gas Theft Operations (SS & CGTO) contested the cases in the Utility Court.
In Hyderabad, the SS & CGTO Department made a crackdown in Latifabad on a customer using gas for commercial purpose through domestic connections to run his bakery. The meter and regulator were suspected tampered with. The connected load was 450 cft/hr. The case has been referred to the Recovery Department for removal of the meter and regulator for testing.
The CGTO Department team also raided a school and university’s kitchens where gas was being used by domestic customers for commercial purposes. Meters and regulators was suspected tampered with. The connected load was 358 cft/hr. Both cases have been referred to the Recovery Department for testing.
Following a complaint received from the PMDU portal regarding theft in Anas Heights, a high-rise building located in the Hyderabad locality of Qasimabad, an anti-gas theft team visited the site and found that 36 flats were using direct gas by installing underground theft clamp from the nearest existing 63mm gas pipeline. The clamp and the rubber tubing were removed and necessary repair work was done.
Meanwhile, in Qasimabad, subsequent to an underground leak survey in Goth Sajjan Detho, several leakages were identified where after excavation, an underground gas theft clamp was found installed on a 4’ dia. gas pipeline from which gas was illegally used by 25 houses.
During the raid, the theft clamp was removed and repair work was done. A leak survey in Qasimabad, Phase 2, also unravelled several leakages. Excavation work was conducted and the raiding team discovered underground theft clamp installed on ¾’ dia. service line from which gas was illegally used by five houses. The clamp was removed and leakage was rectified. In fresh raids, the SSGC’s Distribution Department disconnected more than 80 illegal overhead and underground connections in different locations of Sukkur region.