PETROL SCAM: STF ARREST ‘CHEAT CHIP’ SUPPLIER

The special task force (STF) on Monday arrested the man who supplied ‘cheat chips’ to petrol pump owners in various districts of UP, from Para area here.

The STF got information about chip supplier Ajay Chaurasia during the interrogation of Jauhar Abbas of Muzaffarnagar, who was arrested in connection with the multi-crore petrol pump scam. SSP, STF, Amit Pathak said the police recovered four chips, electronic circuits and a petrol dispensing unit from Chaurasia. An FIR has been lodged at Para police station. Chaurasia’s arrest has come as a major breakthrough for the STF.

Probe has revealed that around 80% of the petrol pumps across the state were using ‘cheat chips’ to dispense low quantities of fuel.

The STF had unearthed the petrol pump scam on April 28. Since then, several raids have been conducted on various petrol pumps in Lucknow. Raids revealed that petrol pump owners were using a hi-tech chipbased device to dispense lower quantities of petrol to consumers than what they paid for.

The police action followed the arrest of an electric technician, Rajendra, who confessed to installing the chip at hundreds of petrol pumps across Uttar Pradesh and beyond.

The raids also led to the arrest of 22 others, including four petrol pump owners, after seven FIRs were lodged in this connection. At least 15 electronic chips and 29 remote devices were seized from these filling stations. The officials sealed seven petrol pumps, and the cancellation of their licences has been recommended.

The seven petrol pumps included those owned by president of UP Petrol Pump Dealers’ Association BN Shukla and his son Gopal. The association president’s filling station – the Standard Petrol Pump – is located in Madiaon.

The petrol pump owners who were arrested include Aman and Anoop Mittal (Sheo Narain petrol pump in Cantonment), Sharad Chand Vaishya (two Lalta Prasad filling stations at KGMU crossing and Daliganj), and Anand Kumar Rai (Maan fuel station near Galla Mandi).

COPS RECOVERED 4 CHIPS, CIRCUITS FROM CHAURASIA