Gujarat: Petrol-diesel theft racket busted in Vadodara, four arrested

Vadodara, October 24 (IANS). The State Monitoring Cell (SMC) of the Gujarat Police busted a large-scale petrol and diesel theft racket running within the limits of the Jawahar Nagar police station in Vadodara. Acting on a tip-off, officers raided an open lot near Amma Roadways Transport Office, where stolen fuel was allegedly extracted, stored and sold illegally. In this action, four accused were arrested, including the main culprit Shakeel Samanbhai Rangwala, resident of Fatehganj, who is said to have a previous criminal record. During the raid, SMC seized petrol and diesel worth Rs 18.48 lakh, cash, mobile phones, vehicles and a tanker, bringing the total seizure to Rs 44.25 lakh​​​​. Those arrested were identified as employees and managers involved in the illegal trade. This raid, conducted under the leadership of State Monitoring Cell Police Inspector PP Brahmbhatt, has once again raised questions about the vigilance of the local police as this illegal business was going on openly in a busy area. Despite past actions, the fuel theft mafia continues to operate with impunity in Vadodara, highlighting the need for strict enforcement and strict monitoring. Fuel theft includes diesel stolen from municipal and industrial vehicles and petrol and diesel stolen from tankers. In July, authorities in Vadodara arrested three people involved in a gang that stole fuel from tankers of a major oil company and seized about 9,000 liters of diesel and petrol. Earlier in Morbi district, a gang that stole 330 liters of diesel from parked vehicles was busted, leading to four arrests and recovery of goods worth Rs 3.61 lakh. The state regulatory machinery also attends to this. –IANS MS/ABM Share this story Tags