Mumbai crime branch busts diesel theft gang; arrests two, seizes diesel worth Rs 98 lakh

At least 360 litres of diesel were seized from one accused. File pic

The Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Mumbai Crime Branch busted a diesel theft racket on Tuesday, and seized 44,000 litres of diesel and two tankers. Two people, part of a gang that operated near petroleum companies in Wadala and Sewri, were arrested. Officials suspect the involvement of some supervisors of a leading petroleum company in the racket.

The two accused arrested by CIU were handed over to Unit 5 of the Mumbai Crime Branch for further investigation. They were identified as Shyam Avdesh Kumar Singh alias Bablu, 27, and Ashutosh Srivastava, 22. According to CIU officials they received information about the diesel theft in Wadala East near Hindustan Petroleum. "Based on the information we reached the location and found two tankers containing 44,000 litres of diesel. The drivers of the tankers did not have papers of transportation," an officer said.

"During the raid, the driver of one of the tankers and few more people present on the spot escaped. One of them is the mastermind of the racket. At least 360 litres of diesel were also seized from one accused who kept it in containers after stealing it from the tanker," the officer added.

Modus operandi

According to the officials, diesel transported from petroleum companies goes directly to the person who has purchased it. "But these drivers, in connivance with the gang operating in the area, have been halting the tankers at different isolated locations where hundreds of litres diesel is removed from the tankers and later sold in the market at a cheaper rate," said an officer of the crime branch.

The city crime branch has earlier busted a similar racket in the area after which officials wrote to petroleum companies seeking details of their supervisors and the process of filling the diesel and how it is transported to the buyer. "After filling the diesel, they give receipts to the driver which mentions the time, and the buyer can check it when the tanker arrives and calculate the timings of their arrival," the officer added. But often buyers don't check the quantity of diesel received.

Supervisors involved?

Officials have found that many times, receipts were generated after drivers left the petroleum company and went to the isolated place where the gang stole the diesel. The drivers then got e-bills on their phone sent by supervisors allegedly in connivance with the gang.

On Tuesday, the driver and the person stealing diesel from the tanker did not have any receipts to show the officers. Officials then seized the tankers and the 44,000 litres diesel worth R98 lakh. Officials have also found that the gang has been stealing more than 20,000 litres of diesel everyday from different tankers. There are 5-6 such gangs active in the area, and Joint Commissioner (Crime) Suhas Varke has ordered a crackdown on the gangs.

44k
Volume (in litres) of diesel seized