Gang swaps diesel with adulterated oil, sells at 70

Chennai: It was like an episode out of Breaking Bad in which a drug gang replaces methylamine with water in a train wagon to avoid detection. Only in Chennai, a gang swapped diesel with adulterated oil. The gang then sold the diesel it stole from bulk tankers at 70 a litre. (Diesel costs 92/litre in Chennai).
To escape detection, the gang fill the tankers with adulterated oil so the volume appeared unchanged when they were emptied at their destinations, mostly in other states.
Six people have been arrested by Chennai police so far, and a search is on for the mastermind.
It all started when the Civil Supplies criminal investigation department (CID) got a tip-off about the 70-a-litre diesel sale in Madhavaram area. When it launched an undercover operation, it found a Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) oil tanker at an isolated godown near Telecom Nagar in Mattur on Saturday night. The gang was caught red-handed, siphoning diesel and replacing it with adulterated oil.
Investigation revealed that the gang bribed drivers of tankers operated by agents for oil companies such as CPCL and Indian Oil Corporation to divert the vehicles, said Inspector Ravi, who was part of the operation. The gang then broke the tanker’s seal, and pilfered the diesel.
“These tankers typically have three compartments, two with 5,000 litres of diesel each and one with a 4,000-litre capacity for petrol. The gang stole only 40 to 50 litres per tanker to avoid detection,” he said.
Upon seeing the police, the six men attempted to flee, abandoning their minivans. However, the Civil Supplies CID nabbed them. Further interrogation revealed that all six were from Madhavaram and had been hoarding stolen diesel and industrial-use oil. A total of 16,400 litres of diesel and other oils were seized that night, according to an official release. The search is now focused on capturing Jeyakumar, the suspected kingpin.