A 52-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stealing oil worth several lakhs from the pipeline of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) in southwest Delhi’s Dwarka area, police said on Friday. The accused had dug up a portion of the land — barely 40 metre away from the pipeline — from where he would allegedly extract oil, and then cover it with fodder.
The police began the probe after the IOCL lodged a complaint on October 4, saying they performed an inspection on September 29 and found that oil was being stolen from the Delhi-Panipat section of their pipeline. The IOCL told the police that the theft was likely taking place in Pochanpur village.
Upon inspection, they discovered that the accused individuals had drilled into the IOCL pipeline and used a valve mechanism to insert a plastic pipe for extracting oil. This plastic pipe led to a plot about 40 meters from the pipeline, connected through an underground tunnel.
A case was registered under the Petroleum And Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Amendment Act, the Explosive Substances Act, the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, the Essential Commodities Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Rakesh is being questioned by the police to get leads on the rest of his accomplices.