Oil theft racket continues in Numaligarh, two arrested

A Correspondent

Numaligarh: Multiple oil rackets are allegedly going on since the past few years in various places of Numaligarh and its nearby areas in Golaghat. Police on Wednesday arrested two persons involved in the black marketing of oil and other petroleum products.

One of the accused was arrested from Numaligarh, while the other, who is an oil tanker driver, was arrested from Khumtai area in Golaghat. There have been allegations since long about oil theft from the oil tankers that transport oil and other petroleum products from Numaligarh Refinery Ltd. The NRL serves as a main selling point of oil and other petroleum products to meet the demands of the north-eastern region of the country. Because of the strict vigilance and corrective measures taken by NRL authority and district administration, the oil theft was almost stopped in the Numaligarh area in last coupleof years. However, the arrest of these two persons involved in oil theft racket indicates towards an active ongoing oil theft racket in the district of Golaghat.

The oil theft racket came to light after an incident where an oil tanker, transporting petrol from NRL to Manipur, met with an accident in Akashiganga area in Hojai. As per information, Hojai Police found in their investigation that the accident of the oil tanker was a pre-planned stunt by the driver. The oil tanker bearing registration no- AS-09-AC-3682 was given a load of 20K litre of petrol in NRL. It was sent to a point in Manipur to deliver the consignment on December 31, 2019. But the driver of the vehicle gave an excuse of road closure and then the vehicle met with an accident in Hojai on January 19, 2020. The oil tanker had nothing in its oil chamber but the driver told the police that the oil tanker was full of petrol. That is where Hojai Police smelt something fishy and arrested the driver and started interrogation. In the police interrogation, the driver of the oil tanker, Putul Gogoi of upper Khumtai under Khumtai police station, made sensational confessions. He told the police that he sold off 8K litres of petrol at two illegal oil selling points, one at Dhodar Ali road in Khumtai and another one near NH-37 in Numaligarh. The remaining 12K litres of petrol were sold off at Byrnihat in Guwahati. On the other hand, based on the confessions of the arrested driver, Hojai Police, in collaboration with Golaghat Police, arrested Tapan Sahu of Numaligarh on Wednesday. Police also recovered almost 5,000 litres of oil and 40 kg iron rods.

It is also alleged that a huge oil theft racket is still active in the Khumtai area of Golaghat. The illegal oil selling and storage point is secured with high walls. People have questioned why Golaghat Police had not shown any interest in busting this illegal oil selling and storage point? It is alleged that with the support of local politicians, the oil theft racket has been going on. Numaligarh Refinery Oil Tanker Association has demanded the Golaghat district administration and Golaghat Police to take necessary steps to stop the ongoing oil theft racket.

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