Mangalore : CCB cops bust major fuel theft racket ; seize five tankers

Mangalore : CCB cops bust major fuel theft racket ; seize five tankers

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Dec 2, 2012:  A major fuel theft racket has been busted by the CCB police on December 1, Saturday. Five fuel tankers have been seized by the cops who have also arrested the tanker owner and the drivers of the vehicles.

Informing this to reporters here on December 2, Sunday, Mangalore Police Commissioner Manish Kharbikar said investigations revealed that the diesel tankers  under IOCL contract had   in-built compartments which could store nearly 100 to 200 liters of fuel.

The commissioner  said  though the exact quantity of fuel is loaded to the tanker, while unloading a  few liters remain in the compartment, which would mean that lesser quantity of fuel is unloaded than the actual quantity loaded, in turn causing loss to the petrol bunk owner.

The arrested are UB Ashok of Bantwal, the owner of Ullalthi Transport which runs the tankers,   drivers Sukumar (28) of Madikeri, Chidanand (21)  and Kushalappa (25), both from  Puttur, Uday Kumar (35) of Shimoga and  CK Smikil (29) of Belthangady.
The Commissioner said Ashok owns a total of seven tankers and that one of the remaining two which is yet to be seized, is in garage.  The police have also seized Rs 3 lakh which the tanker owner reportedly offered to the cops in order to avert action.
Police have   seized seven mobile phones, equipment used to steal fuel and an EECO car. The total value of all the seized goods including a cash of Rs 3, 03,930 cash,  has been put together at  Rs 69,29,285.

CCB Inspector Venkatesh Prasanna said Ashok was in this business since four years and that his group used to steal at least 700 liters of fuel in a day.

The CCB team which took part in this operation led by CCB Inspector HN Venkatesh Prasanna, includes Vishwanath, Shyamsunder HM, Shashidar Shetty, Ganesh MP, Ganesh Kalladka, Chandrashekar, Sunil Kumar, Dinesh Bekal, Tej Kumar.

Muthuraya, DCP (law and order), D Dharmaiah, DCP (crime) were also present at the press meet.