GUJRANWALA, March 18: A Rs20 million theft scam of the telephone exchange machinery and then setting it on fire has surfaced. The Pakistan Telecommuni-cation Company Limited (PTCL) authority got registered FIRs against an assistant engineer and other staff besides suspending them from service here on Friday. Reports said the staff had stolen Sukheki’s 1000-line telephone exchange machinery and later burnt it to conceal their crime some two months back. Subscribers started protesting against the PTCL when some 900 telephone numbers went silent. On receiving information, telecom regional general manager Syed Murid Ali Shah formed an inquiry team headed by divisional engineer (inspection) Haji Ikram to probe the matter. Meanwhile, assistant engineer Mian Azhar Bashir was suspended from service while executive powers of DE Mazhar Mirza were forfeited.

Sukheki police have registered a theft case and arrested some accused. However, the assistant engineer reportedly disappeared.