Mumbai: A racket in which diesel from a Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) pipeline was being stolen and sold to customers in Pune and Gujarat has been busted.
Acting on a tip-off, the police sent a team to a tanker parking lot adjacent to a BPCL sub-station in Gawanpada near RCF on September 9. “Our team saw a group of men indulging in some suspicious activities near a tanker. We tried to nab them, but they managed to flee in the darkness. The police found a hole under the vehicle, and diesel was being pilfered from the pipeline running underneath. Diesel was being run through a pipe into the tanker,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Shahaji Umap, Zone VI.
The tanker and the equipment were seized and the police registered a case under the Petroleum and Mineral Pipeline Act against unidentified persons.
With the help of informants, five people, identified as Hasim Chaudhary (30), Riyaz Khan (25), Kishore Shirsode (33), Deepak Muniraj, (34) and Abdul Sheikh (49) were arrested.
“Interrogation revealed that they had stolen five tankers full of diesel till date. They had sold some part of it in Pune, while the rest was delivered to Bhavnagar in Gujarat. We sent teams to both these cities,” said Mr. Umap.
In Pune, the team picked up a petrol pump owner, identified as Parvez Khan (35), who had allegedly bought around 31,000 litres from the accused. Similarly, Nasir Ansari (47), who runs a bakery in Pune and had bought diesel from Khan to fuel his ovens, was picked up. Both were arrested on September 12 and brought to Mumbai.
Meanwhile, in Bhavnagar, the police picked up Kazim Govani (33), who runs an oil dealership, after inquiries established that he had bought the pilfered diesel. He was arrested on September 12, and is being interrogated.
On Saturday, Salauddin Sheikh (23), who was allegedly driving the tankers to and from the parking lot every time the accused stole the diesel, was arrested.
“The accused have stolen 1.04 lakh litres of diesel worth ₹62 lakh. We are probing the matter,” said Mr. Umap.
