A Chembur gang that dug into the ground to steal fuel from a pipeline, ended up digging their own grave when the police caught on to their grift and arrested them. The RCF police busted the racket and arrested a total of 13 people.
According to the police, the accused attempted to tap the underground 18-inch-diameter Mumbai–Manmad multiproduct pipeline and steal petrol and diesel around 3.30 am on November 14, near the Pepsi Company gate on Gadkari Road in Chembur. The pipeline runs about 2.5 metres underground, and the gang had planned to cut into it and siphon fuel.
An officer said, “We first arrested Vinod Devchand Pandit, 48, a resident of Chembur Camp. Further investigation revealed the he was one of the main conspirators in the racket.”
Cops seized gas cutters, iron clamps and other equipment used for tapping the pipeline from the accused. Investigations also revealed that the accused are habitual offenders with multiple cases registered against them for pipeline tapping and fuel theft across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai.
A case has been registered at the RCF Police Station under Sections 303 and 62 of BNS, along with Section 15 of the Petroleum and Mineral Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Act, 1962. The complaint was lodged by BPCL manager Harshal Shivajirao Bhajipale.
