Hyderabad: On Sunday, Nirmala, a resident of Saroornagar, was duped of Rs 6,000 for “gas repairs” that did not exist. This is just one among the many such incidents happening in Hyderabad of late.
According to an official from HP Gas Company, fraud gas repair technicians are on the prowl in the city. Claiming that they’re from a private gas agency, they are going to the doorsteps of people, in the name of carrying out an inspection. After inspection, they cheat customers under the pretext of fixing a gas leak or some other repair.
Another resident of the city was duped of Rs 3,000 for a repair whch was not needed. He was told that there was a leak and it could turn fatal anytime. He got scared and paid-up eventually. When he later checked with his gas agency, he found that no technician was sent by them.
In a similar case, a fraudster reached another woman’s home who suspected there was a ‘leak’ in her cooking gas stove. Since she was aware of this fraud, she asked them to leave. When she called the company service provider to repair the gas stove, the technician upon inspecting told her that there was no gas leak.
An official from HP Gas Company says, “There have been many cases of people posing as technicians from the private gas agency and conning people on the pretext of repairing gas stoves. Usually, gas agencies charge very little for such inspections, which happen once in five years. Some companies even send an SMS to the consumer’s registered number before sending a technician. Consumers can cross-check the ID card worn by the technician to see if the person is genuine or not. Also, our technicians always wear a uniform. If there is any gas repair, it is always recommended to call the emergency HP or Bharatgas service provider number that is mentioned on the bill.“
He also added that if a person is unaware of how to connect an LPG cylinder, then request the delivery guy to show how to connect it. He urged not to experiment while connecting the LPG cylinder.
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