Five oil tankers seized

A Correspondent

JOYSAGAR, May 8: In an operation led by Sivasagar ASP Bolin Dewri, police busted a crude oil smugglers’ dump near the Mashkara Tea Estate area of Sivasagar district on Monday night. The smugglers allegedly brought several oil tankers inside the dump and unloaded hundreds of litres of crude oil. from such oil tankers. Sivasagar Police during their operation were able to recover 45 drums of oil, three pump sets and many drums kept for filling smuggled crude oil. Besides, police were also able to seize as many as five crude oil tankers from the premises of this secret dump. The oil tankers (AS-23-BC-5945, AS-07-AC-4681, AS-06-AC-4831, AS-07-A-4308 and one without registration number) were seized.

Meanwhile, a driver of one such tanker, Suresh Rai was also booked by the police during the operation. But the smugglers as well as the owner of the secret dump and a former rebel outfit member were able to flee. Police sources informed that several public complaints had been made against smugglers who allegedly had set up many secret crude oil dumps near the NH-37 of Sivasagar.