LAHORE - Some thieves took away more than one hundred gas meters of the Railway Colony residents near Railway Headquarters with the alleged connivance of local police and Sui gas department. It was perhaps the rare incident that ever happened in the City wherein such a large number of gas meters were removed by the criminals. The affected areas include Naach Ghar, Allama Iqbal Road, Pringle Road, Wireless Road and Burt Institute colony. The residents are facing tremendous hardships due to disconnection of the gas supply to the area. They are running from pillar to post for the redressal of their complaints but to no avail. The Railway police and the sui gas departments refused to register the complaints. FIRs of only two locals were registered while the other complainants were asked to approach the authorities concerned. Sub Inspector Walli Muhammad said that police had received the information of theft from the locals during the last two months. The police were investigating the incident and would arrest the culprits soon, he said. SP Railway police Faizan Safdar said that he had recently joined the department and could not comment on the issue. He, however, assured that he would depute DSP and SHO concerned to investigate the complaints. The police would also provide security to the consumers to avoid such criminal acts in future, he said. According to the witnesses, the criminals used to remove the gas meters by taking shelter of a pick up van. They used to park the van along the boundary wall of the residences or the electric poles where the gas meters were installed while one or tow policemen used to petrol near the van to provide the thieves, engaged in removing the gas meters, shelter. The Railway police refused to receive the victims' applications and allegedly misbehaved with many of them. Some of the victims also approached senior Railway police officers but they too ignored them and advised them to contact the authorities concerned. The victims alleged that some of the Railway police officials were involved in this criminal act saying that some policemen had visited the area along with unknown thieves who had pretended themselves as employees of the Sui gas department. Atta Hussain, an accounts officer in the Railway police department, said that his gas meter was removed on February 27, 2009. He said he had witnessed two unknown men with some instruments at Burt Institute Colony on a van. On being asked, they introduced themselves as employee of the Sui gas department and said they had come to this area on the complaint of some consumers about gas leakage. He said the visitors parked the van alongside the electric pole where dozens of gas meters were installed. He ignored them thinking that complaints of gas load-shedding and its leakage were the routine matter these days. Atta said after he found his gas disconnected, he came outside the home and found several gas meters missing. The unknown men had disappeared from the site. Atta said he immediately contacted the Sui gas department where scores of other locals were also present with the same complaints but the department officials expressed their ignorance about the incident saying that according to the official record no department employee was sent to the area to attend gas leakage complaint. Atta said he along with other people visited the police station concerned and submitted his complaint. The SHO Railway police told them that police had received the complaints of missing of more than 100 meters and it was not possible for them to register all the cases.