Man who ran hotel with stolen gas jailed for five years

A man was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and fined Rs400,000 for a major theft offence by the gas utility court, said a statement issued by the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) on Friday.

Mohammad Qasim, son of Muhammad Ishaq, was found stealing gas directly from an SSGC line to run his hotel. As a result, the company had to suffer major losses.

The man was arrested in 2016. He was later released on court bail. The court sentenced him after hearing the arguments of both sides. According to the court’s decision in the case, if the offender is not able to pay his fine, levied by the court, his jail term will be increased by six more months.

According to the chief of the counter gas theft operation, Brig (retd) Muhammad Abu Zar, the SSGC shows zero tolerance towards gas people. He further said that the operation would be intensified as gas theft was major cause of UFG, which caused financial losses to the company.