Officials followed SOPS, but failed to detect theft: Probe
JAIPUR: An internal investigation by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) to find out possible involvement of its employees in diesel pilferage revealed that the employees at the receiving and pumping station in Jaipur followed standard operating procedures (SOPS), which are observed across the industry for transfer of petroleum products and maintenance of pipelines.
The report said that in spite of following SOPS, line inspections, patrolling, and regular surprise checks to monitor alertness of security, the Jaipur officers were unable to detect the pilferage.
HT has a seen a copy of the report.
“Pilferage activities were carried out with a high degree of camouflage. Precautions were taken by the miscreants to maintain the ground surface unaltered to escape detention during patrolling by line walkers, surprise visits and from any external agency,” the report reads.
The city police had busted a gang in June this year involved in oil pilferage from HPCL pipeline passing through Rajawas area of Jaipur. So far 12 members of the gang have been arrested. Kingpin of the gang Sardar Swarn Singh was arrested from Delhi on Sunday.
Deputy commissioner of poli c e ( DCP), West, Vikas Sharma said that the accused persons allegedly rented three houses on a land in Rajawas, 30 to 35 feet close to the pipeline. They then dug a tunnel between the pipeline and their home and a l s o c o nnect e d a v a l v e t o it which in turn was connected to a pipe.
They then attached a pump to this pipe and began to draw diesel from the main pipeline. From this pipeline, they used to fill diesel in drums and smuggle it in pick-ups and small vehicles. The
lines were laid in such a way that the neighbours hardly doubted their illegal activity.
The HPCL i nvestigation report pointed out that the product handling activities were undertaken by the miscreants at house number 2 which is more than 120 metres away from the designated path of the line walkers. House number 2 not being in t h e p r o x i mi t y o f r i g h t o f use (ROU) remained away from normal surveillance of line walkers.
The investigation found that adjoining houses to house number 2 are either vacant or under construction and hence aided miscreants to conceal their pilfering activities. With the current practices of security system of HPCL, information on such incidents is only possible from village and police meet which were followed by the officers. The system representative too was unable to detect when they scrutinised few of the alarms record.
DCP Sharma said, “The work