KAKINADA : The Sarpavaram police led by inspector Chaitanya Krishna on Tuesday successfully busted a racket involved in pilferage of imported palm oil from the storage tanks and arrested five persons along with their pilferage devices.Disclosing the modus operandi of the palm oil racket, SP Vishal Gunni said that the gang had taken on lease a part of the Atlas Marine Company godown in the port area and clandestinely constructed underground storage tanks.
They adopted a novel technique of drilling a hole in the main oil supply pipe that receives palm oil directly from the ships to nearby NCS Company storage tanks. By fixing the special device to the pipe where the hole was drilled, they drew 23 tonnes of palm oil and pumped into a sump first and later into the underground storage tanks. Since the hole was made in the pipes underneath, it could not be noticed by anyone. The oil was later shifted to Sri Dhanalakshmi Oil & General Merchants.
The SP said the arrests were made as part of the investigation by the East Godavari district police after receiving a complaint from the management of NCS Industries Pvt Ltd, Vakalapudi.Acting on a tip-off, the police arrested a habitual offender Bondu Narayana of Uppada village in U Kothapalli mandal and Madiki Jakkaiah of Santhanapuri Colony in Kakinada and seized two tonnes of palm oil from their possession.
Oil mafia rears its ugly head again
NCS Industries Pvt Ltd complained that an increasing amount of oil was found unaccounted for and their actual drawal figures were not matching with the metre readings at the main pipeline valve
To avoid attention from the public, the offenders drilled holes to the pipes away from local habitations
The offenders were loading the stolen oil into tankers and supplying the same to known customers