ITANAGAR, Jun 1: Capital SP Tumme Amo said the police on Saturday seized red-handed an oil tanker while it was unloading about 9000 litres of adulterated petroleum products at the Nani Sati petrol pump in Lekhi.
The police have lately been receiving information that adulterated petroleum products are being supplied to various petrol pumps in the capital complex. On Saturday, acting on a tip-off from NEHRO GS Buteng Tayeng that a tanker (AS-06-AC-1846) was arriving in the capital to deliver adulterated petroleum products, a team comprising CRPF DSP Ashok T, Nirjuli Police Station OC Inspector Tadu Hassang, SI Bengia Nabdo, the capital complex DFCSO and others, under Amo’s supervision, laid an ambush and seized the tanker at the petrol pump, in the presence of Tayeng and magistrate Neelam Teji.
“Samples have been collected from the seized tanker for further investigation,” the SP said.
“As per the challan, the tanker had been dispatched by Dibrugarh (Assam)-based Brahmaputra Cracker & Polymer Limited to West Bengal, but it delivered the adulterated products to the petrol pump in Lekhi,” he said.
The driver, Naxamuddin Shah (27), and the handyman, Jitendra Verma (22) have been arrested, and they have confessed that they made such deliveries earlier also, the SP said.
“The manager of the petrol pump, Subash Sharma (48), has also confessed that such adulterations happen quite often in all the petrol pumps,” he said.
A case under Section 420/414/407/120 B, read with Section 3 of the PDPP Act, has been registered at the Nirjuli police station, and the case in under investigation.
Meanwhile, the Capital Complex Petroleum Depot Association has condemned the incident and asked the owners of petrol pumps in the capital complex not to indulge in such illegal activities and ensure that they store only quality fuel.
“The association is against all forms of adulteration, particularly in petroleum products,” it said.
“Let the law take its own course of action in the matter,” the association said of the seizure.