Tanker driver stealing petrol caught red-handed

A Hindustan Petroleum petrol bunk owner in Banashankari caught a tanker driver who was had stolen fuel before delivering at the bunk. HP officials are investigating.

In what appears to be the tip of the iceberg, the owner of a HP (Hindustan Petroleum) petrol bunk in Banashankari caught the driver of a fuel tanker siphoning off 150-200 litres, valued at Rs 6000-7000. The incident happened on Tuesday, February 1st. 

The truck from which petrol was siphoned off by the driver. It has been stationed at the petrol bunk while investigations are going on. Pic: Navya P K

Mani Siddaiah, owner of Mahadeswara petrol bunk in Banashankari 3rd Stage, says that the truck driver has admitted to removing the petrol by opening the locks on top of the truck. The truck’s owner also alleges of petrol was being siphoned off over months.

Siddaiah, an IRS (Indian Revenue Service) officer, says he has been noticing the shortage in the supplied amount for the last 4-5 months. "When we measured the petrol in the underground sumps with dipstick, we found shortages but could not pinpoint it on anyone," he says. Many trucks supply petrol to the bunk; the truck owners’ contract is with HP and not with the dealer.

On Tuesday, the owners measured the petrol with a dipstick after it was filled. "The measurement showed that the sump was full. When we measured again after removing 35 litres from the sump, the measurement still indicated that sump was full. After repeated measurements by removing different amounts of petrol, we concluded that some mechanism was set up to show the same measurements despite the amount of petrol in the sump," Siddaiah says. The quantity in the diesel sumps, supplied by the same truck, was found to be accurate on measurement.

Though the driver admitted to siphoning off around 110 litres of petrol, Siddaiah says this could be around 200 litres. "The driver said that those involved in the scam had a master key to open the locks on all trucks. The driver ran away in between, but was brought back by the truck owner," Siddaiah says.

HP has been informed of the issue and is investigating the case. Since the contract for the trucks was given by HP, further procedures will be initiated by the company after establishing the theft; the bunk owner has not pressed any charges against the truck owner with the police.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

‘MLA workload increased by 50% after delayed BMC elections:’ Incumbent candidate Amin Patel

Amin Patel, the top ranked MLA from Mumbadevi, speaks about his performance, challenges and promises ahead of assembly elections.

Soon after the Parliamentary elections, Maharashtra starts preparing for Assembly elections. The state has 288 assembly seats and of these 36 are in Mumbai. Though the number is small, Mumbai remains significant as the financial capital of the country and a metro that attracts lakhs of people for work.   Mumbadevi is one of the oldest and most diverse areas of Mumbai, represented by incumbent MLA Amin Patel (Congress) for three consecutive terms. The area comprises Grant Road, Girgaum, Dongri, Tardeo, Umarkhadi, Bhuleshwar, and Nagpada.  Amin Patel is a top-ranked MLA, according to the report card brought out by Praja Foundation,…

Similar Story

Mumbai: Who gets to be ‘Ladki Bahin’ and who gets left behind?

Without documents like ration cards and Aadhaar cards, marginalised communities in Thane fail to access schemes meant for them.

“Are we not 'ladki bahins' too?” wonder some women from migrant families of Chinchpada, Airoli in Thane. When the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana was launched, these low-income families hoped to benefit from the scheme, which promises women a monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500 if their family’s annual income does not exceed Rs 2,50,000. This initiative seems like it would offer some relief to low-income migrant worker families in Chinchpada. However, it raises the question: who qualifies as a 'Ladki Bahin' (ladki bahin means dear sister)? A key barrier is the lack of essential documentation, such as Aadhaar cards,…