One held for stealing fuel from IOC pipeline

New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) A man accused of stealing 12,000 litres of fuel from Indian Oil Corporation’s (IOC) Panipat-Bhatinda pipeline was arrested from Chander Vihar area here, police said on Friday.

The accused Avtar Singh, 42, along with his gang tapped into the IOC pipeline which runs from Panipat to Bhatinda in Punjab.

He was arrested late Thursday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Pushpendra Kumar on Friday described the theft as rare and added that they used a Tata Safari and an oil tanker for the heist.

Efforts are on to nab the remaining culprits who are on the run.

On June 26, they parked the Tata Safari in front of a roadside restaurant while the tanker was driven close to the pipeline through an unpaved pathway.

After filling about 12,000 litres of fuel, they refilled the pit they had dug with soil. Later they travelled to Jalandhar to sell the fuel to unscrupulous elements.