Oil stealing racket busted, eight arrested

Police team, consisting of personnel from several police stations, busted a gang of oil pilferers at laksar area of the district when they were trying to steal oil from IOCl pipeline on Friday. Police arrested eight persons and seized two cars, one tanker and an 80-feet long pipe fitted with valves. However, one of those involved in the incident managed to flee.

Notably,  last year too around  the time when Kanwar Teerth Yatra season was on,  similar incident was reported and a FIR was lodged by Indian Oil Corporation limited (IOCl) in laksar police station, complaining that oils worth lakhs had been stolen from company pipeline by unknown miscreants. Police registered the case. However, despite  efforts by police, the case remained un-cracked.

Police sources said after the Kanwar Yatra season began  police continued to get  tips that stated  that last  year’s incident would repeat this year too.  Sources added that three days ago,  the miscreants succeeded  in stealing  oil through IOCl pipeline despite  police vigilance.Alarmed, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Haridwar constituted a team,   comprising SP Rural Parmender Singh Dobhal, CO Roorkee Kuldip Singh Aswal and team of SOG Roorkee, to crack down the gang. Dobhal said that the IOCl pipeline spread over   several police station areas is around 30 km long.  Besides, a great stretch of the pipeline falls in the forest area.

Receiving tip-off, police team, consisting of force from laksar, Roorkee and Bhagwanpur police station, waited  for hours to entrap the  miscreants. They this time succeeded to arrest  them.   Those arrested were Rakesh, Ram Babu and Yogender-all from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, Ashish Yadav alias Rahul resident of Ranipur Haridwar, Rajan Singh and Jitendra of Bharatpur, Rajasthan and Banwari and Om Prakash- both from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. The one of the miscreants who escaped was identified as Guddu resident of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.