PARADIP: In the early hours of Wednesday, a blaze erupted in Udaya Vihar, under Paradip Lock police jurisdiction, gutting two trucks and a temporary container stocked with diesel. However, no casualty was reported as the vehicles were unoccupied.
Sources said a racket active in Paradip is involved in theft of petrol and diesel from tankers that transport petroleum products. The criminals discreetly sell the stolen goods in the market. An illegal container was reportedly installed by an unidentified person near Udaya Vihar that functioned as a place to stock pilfered diesel drums. Unloading of diesel takes place at the container site frequently but no action has been taken to nab the people involved.
On Tuesday night, a fire broke out in the container room, where approximately 2,000 litre of stolen diesel were stored in eight to 10 drums. The flames spread to two nearby trucks, completely gutting them. The cause of the mishap remains undetermined though.Truck owner Sribacch Rath said, “My truck, parked for repairs near the container, was engulfed in the fire. The container housed stolen diesel, and the blaze originated there, causing extensive damage.”
Fire officer of Kujang, Kartik Biswal said multiple firefighting teams, including those from Kujang, CISF and IOCL, worked for four hours to control the blaze. Preliminary estimates suggest property damages exceeding Rs 50 lakh. No one has claimed ownership of this container and stolen diesel, he added.
Paradip Lock IIC Kulamani Sethi said investigation is on and police suspect arson as the cause. “CCTV footage is being scanned, and a case has been registered to unveil the circumstances leading to the fire mishap,” he stated.