Mini trucks flee Sivasagar fuel station with 1,825l diesel

Dibrugarh: Two mini trucks siphoned off 1,825 litres of diesel worth Rs 1,79,507 from an Indian Oil fuel station in Sivasagar town on Monday afternoon, triggering a swift police crackdown that uncovered a major fuel smuggling racket.The incident occurred between 12.30pm and 1.30pm at the Nemchand Manikchand Indian Oil Fuel Station, located at Station Chariali on AT Road. According to fuel station authorities, the entire operation began with a deceptive phone call.“I received a phone call from a man speaking in Hindi, who requested us to fill 1,825 litres of diesel into nine large drums loaded onto the back of two mini trucks,” said Arvind Singh, the manager of the fuel station.“He asked me to send the digital bill and a payment QR code via WhatsApp as soon as the filling was complete,” he added.Unsuspecting station employees spent roughly 30 minutes filling the nine drums, five loaded on one truck and four on the other. Once the task was finished, Singh sent the billing details and QR code to the caller as requested.While the transaction was supposedly being processed online, the two mini trucks discreetly moved to the side of the station premises. Taking advantage of a sudden rush of other customers that distracted the station staff, both vehicles sped away from the spot. It took the station management nearly 15 minutes to realise they had been duped. Following a frantic search of the immediate area, Singh lodged an official complaint at the Sivasagar police station.Sivasagar police swung into action. A specialised team led by additional superintendent of police (crime) Moidul Islam launched an investigation, analysing local CCTV footage and tracking vehicle registration data. Within hours, investigators managed to trace the driver and owner of one of the escaping mini trucks, taking them into custody for interrogation. They have been identified as Mushtaq Khan, the driver of one mini truck and Ishfaqur Ahmed, the vehicles’ owner. Acting on information obtained during questioning, police on Tuesday morning raided an abandoned bamboo godown along BG Road in Sivasagar and recovered the nine drums filled with diesel. Officers also found a large number of other drums containing petrol, diesel and crude oil at the site, indicating a wider operation, officials said.“The recovery suggests that the incident is part of a larger racket involving unlawful acquisition and storage of fuel. We are tracing the ownership of the other drums and the supply network. More arrests may follow,” the ASP added.