In a bizarre case of theft in Rajasthan, eight men were arrested for allegedly stealing 20 tonnes of crude oil by puncturing an HPCL pipeline passing through Balotra district, Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) said, news agency PTI reported.
The men, with a history of petty thefts, were arrested by the Gujarat ATS and Rajasthan Police last week after the ATS received a tip-off on some persons attempting to sell crude oil on the Ahmedabad-Rajkot highway. This led to the arrest of a man from a spot near Sokhda village in Rajkot district. The investigating agencies uncovered the syndicate after the arrested man was grilled, following which the other seven were also nabbed from Tapra village in Balotra district of Rajasthan, the ATS was quoted as saying.
A case has been registered at Jasol Police Station in Rajasthan in connection with the oil theft case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for theft, criminal conspiracy and negligent conduct with respect to fire, and under the provisions of the Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Act, 1962, and the Prevention of Damage to Public Works Act. The accused persons are identified as Ghanshyam Soni (54) and Jayrajsinh Chudasama (34), both residents of Rajkot; Mukesh Meghwal (44) from Jalore in Rajasthan; Ranjit Chorasiya (48) from Gandhinagar; Ramesh Thakore (41), Sureji Thakore (32) and Mahesh Thakore (32) from Mehsana; and Dilip Yadav (35), from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh.
