13,550 litres diesel seized from illegal petrol pump

MUMBAI: The economic offences wing (EOW) and crime branch control of the Mumbai Police on Sunday busted an illegal petrol pump operating on a footpath at Dharavi, and seized 13,550 litres of diesel stored in drums.

The supervisor of the petrol pump has been arrested and case has been registered relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Essential Commodities Act and clauses of the Motor spirit High speed diesel (The regulation of supply and distribution and mal practices) order.

According to crime branch officers, on Friday they received a tip about fuel-filled shipping containers on a footpath at Dharavi.

The fuel was being sold at a lower price than available at petrol pumps.

Based on the information, the officers of EOW and crime branch control conducted a raid and seized 13,550 litres of diesel stored in containers, diesel dispensing machines and pumps.

Police also arrested the supervisor of the illegal petrol pump, Indrasing Rathod.

Nitin Patil, police officer at crime branch control said that a private company had taken a contract from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to supply 100 clean-up vehicles.

The company directors, who are wanted by the police, had charged BMC ₹83 per litre of diesel used for the clean-up vehicles, and had been filling diesel from the illegal petrol pump at ₹50 per litre. They were also selling the diesel illegally to private vehicles in the night.

“During investigations, we found that the fuel was of low quality and since BMC vehicles are not checked, the company managed to cheat the civic body,” said Patil.