Freak oil heist in Rajasthan: 8 thieves puncture pipeline to steal 20 tonnes of crude

In a bizarre case of theft in Rajasthan, eight men were arrested for allegedly stealing 20 tonnes of crude oil by puncturing an HPCL pipeline passing through Balotra district, Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) said, news agency PTI reported.

The men, with a history of petty thefts, were arrested by the Gujarat ATS and Rajasthan Police last week after the ATS received a tip-off on some persons attempting to sell crude oil on the Ahmedabad-Rajkot highway. This led to the arrest of a man from a spot near Sokhda village in Rajkot district.

The investigating agencies uncovered the syndicate after the arrested man was grilled, following which the other seven were also nabbed from Tapra village in Balotra district of Rajasthan, the ATS was quoted as saying.

How was the oil heist carried out?

Their interrogation revealed that the accused had illegally punctured and installed a valve in the HPCL crude oil pipeline in a 3-4 feet deep pit in the wasteland on the border of Kaludi village in Balotra district of Rajasthan.

The accused allegedly used their connections in the jail and precise knowledge of the local 20-km HPCL refinery network to map the exact location of the underground route, The Print reported.

With the connections and the map, the group dug a three-foot pit in the Parpadar area of Rajasthan’s Balotra district, the report added.

Then they punctured the high-pressure HPCL pipeline, installed a valve to steal the oil, and fled with 20 tonnes of crude oil in two vehicles, the report added.

They were reportedly selling the stolen oil to a resident in Beawar in Rajasthan when the probe agencies received a tip off.

A case has been registered at Jasol Police Station in Rajasthan in connection with the oil theft case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for theft, criminal conspiracy and negligent conduct with respect to fire, and under the provisions of the Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Act, 1962, and the Prevention of Damage to Public Works Act.

The ATS is investigating if other persons were also involved in the crime.

The accused persons are identified as Ghanshyam Soni (54) and Jayrajsinh Chudasama (34), both residents of Rajkot; Mukesh Meghwal (44) from Jalore in Rajasthan; Ranjit Chorasiya (48) from Gandhinagar; Ramesh Thakore (41), Sureji Thakore (32) and Mahesh Thakore (32) from Mehsana; and Dilip Yadav (35), from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh.