Petrol theft on rise in Kolhapur as fuel prices touch new highs

Kolhapur: Soaring prices of fuel have led to a surge in petrol theft across the city. In residential areas, masked men have been caught on CCTV siphoning fuel from the tanks of motorcycles parked in basements, specifically in the Rajarampuri 6th Lane area.Petrol prices touched Rs111.08 per litre and diesel Rs98.84 per litre on Monday in Kolhapur. This marks the fourth hike in less than two weeks, featuring a particularly steep increase of Rs2.61 for petrol and Rs2.71 for diesel.“We have seen footage of masked men drawing petrol from bikes, though we have not received a formal complaint yet. However, we are alerting the public and urging them to ensure their petrol tank lids are locked or to use external petrol locks to prevent theft,” said an officer from Rajarampuri police station.The price hike also triggered political unrest. Activists from Shiv Sena (UBT) staged a “rasta roko” at the Uchagaon underpass along the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway, protesting against the rising costs of fuel and LPG. The demonstration brought traffic to a standstill for approximately 20 minutes.Speaking at the protest, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Raju Yadav accused the central govt of tactical pricing. “During the recent elections in five states, the Centre kept fuel and LPG prices stable. As soon as the elections ended, the prices began to climb. This pattern repeats every election cycle. This hike has driven up transportation costs, which in turn has inflated the price of essential goods and vegetables. The BJP came to power in 2014 promising to curb inflation, but they have failed miserably,” Yadav said.The party workers warned that they would block the National Highway indefinitely if the Centre fails to control fuel prices and inflation.Meanwhile, in neighbouring Sangli, reports emerged of some petrol pumps running dry. However, district authorities dismissed claims of a shortage, stating that an adequate stock—approximately 2,600 kilolitres of petrol and 3,000 kilolitres of diesel remains available in the district.