100-Foot Tunnel Constructed to Steal Crude Oil from IOC Pipeline in Rajasthan

JODHPUR: While inspecting a pipeline near Raipur on the Pali-Jaipur highway, Indian Oil Corporation officials discovered a shocking scheme wherein a half-inch pipe was being used to steal crude oil from the pipeline. The pipe was laid through a 100-foot long, four-foot wide and 10-foot deep tunnel which was connected to a nearby petrol pump. On Monday, the IOC officials investigated the faulty section of the pipeline, which stretches from Mundra in Gujarat to Panipat in Haryana, discovering the aforementioned tunnel. Due to the lateness of the hour, the excavation work was delayed till Tuesday morning. When the work continued, officials soon discovered the petrol pump which local authorities say belonged to Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited but had been shut down for several years.

Police investigators assigned to the case have identified the manager of the pump, Pradeep Mali, and attempts are now being made to find the owner of the petrol pump. They added that HPCL, around three months ago, had allocated the pump to Rajendra Jain from Barmer who subsequently rented it out to individuals identified as Akash Jain and Sohanlal Vishnoi. The police suspect that the accused rented the pump to steal oil from the IOC pipeline before supplying it to tankers.

Presently, it has not been revealed how much oil was stolen and how long this scheme had been running before it was discovered. 

With inputs from PTI.