NEW DELHI: Delhi Police on Monday claimed to have busted an Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) smuggling racket and arrested six people involved in siphoning off the jet fuel and selling it in black market.
According to police, the racket was being operated from a godown in Mundka area, from where they recovered 72,000 litres of ATF fuel, saving the national exchequer from a monthly loss of Rs 1.62 crore. Two persons have been arrested.
Based on a tip-off, police conducted a raid at a concealed godown in Mundka village. Three oil tankers, each loaded with 24,000 litres of ATF, were found to be siphoned using pipes into barrels, DCP (Crime) Aditya Gautam said.
Two pick-up trucks meant for further transportation of stolen fuel were also seized. Additionally, duplicate master keys, barrels filled with stolen ATF, and Rs 1.05 lakh in cash were recovered from the spot.
The ATF was originally loaded at the HPCL Asoda Depot, Bahadurgarh, in Haryana, for delivery to IGIA. The accused drivers, in collusion with the transporter and godown operator, manipulated the GPS tracking system and diverted the tankers to the Mundka godown for commissioning the crime.