28 November,2017 06:35 PM IST | Mumbai | Suraj Ojha
Teen Hath Naka fuel pump station in trouble after several motorists, whose refuelled vehicles broke down, allege that petrol was diluted with water; police shut station until probe is complete
It had been a rather smooth journey for Thane resident Ashish Patil for the past few months, after he received his bike from the service centre. But, on Monday, he was shocked when his two-wheeler suddenly broke down, after he refuelled it from a petrol pump near Eternity Mall, Teen Hath Naka. Adding to his shock, Patil returned to the fuel station to find more bikers like him charging the petrol pump employees with diluting the petrol with water. Before long, cops were called in to pacify over a hundred motorists who had gathered to protest the milavat.
Ashish Patil (L) and other bikers and motorists show how water had been mixed with petrol
Speaking to mid-day, Patil said, "On my way back from work, I refuelled my bike at the Teen Hath Naka petrol pump. I asked them to fill R200 worth petrol. I had barely moved a few metres when my bike broke down. I was surprised because the bike had just arrived from the service centre and it was working fine. I returned to the petrol pump to find more motorists complaining like me about that their vehicles had stopped functioning. We managed to find a few plastic bottles and we asked a pump staffer to fill them. We were shocked to find more water than oil in the bottle."
Over 40% water was found diluted in a bottle of petrol. Pics/Rajesh Gupta
Another motorist, Vaibhav Maske, said, "I had asked the staffers to fill R100 worth petrol, but I drained the tank to find almost 40 per cent water in it. Water in the fuel tank can wreak havoc with bikes and cars. The pump owner should be jailed for diluting oil with water."
Manish Pandit had a similar story to share. "I don't come to this petrol pump much, but I was in a hurry yesterday, so I came to this pump. But, I had barely covered a few metres after refuelling when my bike refused to start."
According to locals, this isn't the first time that this petrol pump has diluted the petrol. After over hundred people gathered to protest against the scam, cops from Wagle Estate police station arrived at the scene to pacify the agitators.
Senior inspector Ravikant Malekar said, "We have received complaints about this petrol pump at Teen Hath Naka mixing water with petrol. We have contacted the vigilance officer of the petrol company, Punit, and asked him to cooperate with our probe. He will test the oil samples from this petrol pump and submit a report to us. If we find that the fuel was diluted, we will register an FIR against the petrol pump owner."
Malekar confirmed that the petrol pump has been closed for operations since the fiasco.
