56 oxygen supply pipes stolen from nCov facility

Pune: A worker (32) was arrested and the contractor employing him in the job was booked for stealing 54 copper pipes, collectively worth Rs1.08 lakh, purchased for supplying oxygen to the new Covid care facility at the Sassoon General Hospital between June 15 and 18.

The arrested worker, Chandrashekhar Bhind (34), will be in police custody till June 24. Sub-inspector Ravindra Godse from the Bund Garden police said, “Bhind told the police that he had picked up the pipes as per his contractor’s instructions. He claimed that the pipes were in possession of the contractor. A police team has been fanned for arresting the contractor.”

A private firm was given the contract for laying the oxygen pipeline at the facility. The firm’s supervisor, Shankar Jadhav (32), stated in his FIR, “A total of 56 pipes of 12, 13 and 22mm diameter were stolen from the facility..”

The FIR read, “The hospital’s security helped the firm officials in establishing the identity of the worker.”