9 held for oil theft from HPCL pipeline

Tribune News Service

Rewari, January 22

With the arrest of nine persons, the district police on Saturday claimed to have busted an interstate gang involved in oil pilferage in the pipeline of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL).

HUNT ON FOR OTHER GANG MEMBERS

The accused were involved in three cases of oil pilferage in the district. They committed the crime in Sonepat, Panipat, Jhajjar’s Bahadurgarh, Rohtak’s Sampla and Delhi. Raids are on to nab other gang members. Rajesh Kumar, Rewari SP

They also seized seven vehicles, including a tanker loaded with 22,000 litre petrol worth Rs 21 lakh, 12 plastic cans and two machines used in the crime. The petrol was stolen a week ago from a pipeline passing through Bhansru village in Rohtak.

SP Rajesh Kumar said the accused had been identified as Ravi Kumar, alias Karan, of Chatiya Deva village; Harish, alias Mistri, and Anil, alias Sonu, of Saleempur village; Binder of Nahra village; Ravinder, alias Ballu, alias Chirkut, of Vikas Nagar in Sonepat; Vijaym alias Bholam of Ladpur (Delhi); Suraj of Mukundpur (UP); and Manish, alias Sund, of Baghpat (UP). “The accused were involved in three cases of oil pilferage registered in the district on March 23, April 10 and December 25 last year,” he added.

Disclosing about their modus operandi, the SP said before perpetrating the crime, the accused used to do a recee for two-three days. “Thereafter, they called Harish, a welder, to drill the pipeline. He put a valve on the pipeline after the drilling and buried it under a gunny bag filled with sand so that others could identify the point easily. The next day, other accused reached there to commit oil pilferage. Harish used to charge Rs 50,000 for this work,” he added.

The SP said Harish had been involved in this illegal trade since 2017 and was also accused in around 10 other cases. He was lodged in Delhi and Jhajjar jail for over two years and was released in 2020. “All accused were produced before a court, which sent them to three-day police remand. Vital information about other gang members is likely to be obtained during the remand,” the SP added.

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