The Rawalpindi police have registered a case against four individuals caught stealing oil from a 10-inch diameter pipeline owned by Pakistan Oilfields Limited (POL).
According to details, the oil theft was uncovered after a massive fire broke out at an oil pipeline in the Jorian area of Dhamial, engulfing a nearby house.
Quick response by the firefighters thankfully prevented large-scale damage but the fire led to the discovery of the secret operation tampering with the POL’s pipeline.
As per the initial investigation by experts and POL, three individuals dug a tunnel from a house they rented to the main pipeline, and stole crude oil through a 20-foot underground temporary pipe.
Additionally, they had built an underground tank to store the oil. Saddar Beruni police took action upon the complaint of POL Senior Executive Officer Admin Ashfaq Ali Nadeem, and registered cases against four suspects, including the house owner.
The complainant informed the police that POL legally extracts crude oil and supplies it to the Attock Oil Refinery through a legal pipeline that passes through the Dhamial area. He also highlighted the illegal construction on the right-of-way.
The suspects have been identified as Raja Ghulam Mustafa, Muhammad Sarfaraz, and Muhammad Aslam Sardar Tariq.
When the fire was reported, Rescue-1122 and Rawalpindi administration quickly arrived at the scene, where they discovered a hidden 20-foot pipe and a clip attached to a crude oil pipeline.
The complainant has accused the house owner, Muhammad Kabir, of facilitating illegal constructions near the pipeline, making it easy for the tenants to steal the crude oil.
As per the loss report, 316 barrels of crude oil worth Rs. 8.4 million were stolen by the suspects. Police have started their investigation and raids are being conducted to arrest the accused.
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