Crude oil scam: Barmer MP questions role of probe agency

ON JULY 22, THE POLICE CRACKED A CRIMINAL SYNDICATE ACCUSED OF SMUGGLING MORE THAN 50 MILLION LITRES OF CRUDE OIL AT THE CAIRN INDIA OILFIELD

Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian from Barmer Col. Sonaram Choudhary has alleged that Crain India officials, district and police administration and contractors were involved in the multi-crore oil scam and are destroying evidence.

Questioning the role of the state investigating agency into the scam, the BJP lawmaker, speaking in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, demanded that investigation be handed over to a central agency.

On July 22, the Rajasthan police cracked a criminal syndicate accused of smuggling more than 50 million litres of crude oil inside water tankers at the Cairn India oilfield, India’s largest onshore oilfield.

The theft at the Cairn India oilfield went undetected for nearly six years until police in the state arrested 25 people this week for involvement in the sophisticated smuggling network.

Earlier, the local police were investigating the scam but after the BJP lawmaker alleged that the scam was being carried out by an organized gang, the state government handed over the probe to the state police’s special operations group (SOG).

Choudhary had complained to the chief minister’s office about the SOG team that in Barmer to investigate the scam, saying that Crain India was proving accommodation to the team

Ramdev Jalwaniya, additional superintendent of police, who is heading the team, however, refuted the allegation, saying that the team members were staying at a hotel paying on their own.

After the issue came to light, the SOG team members left the hotel in which they were staying.

Choudhary in a statement said crude oil theft has been running for a long time from the Cairn India operated Saraswati oil field in the Barmer-Sanchore basin.

The BJP lawmaker also questioned the role of officials of Cairn India — the company producing oil —in the multi-crore crude oil scam.

Apart from the company officials, crude transporters and some police officials are also involved in it, he alleged in the statement.