Delhi: Man Stole Oil Worth Lakhs from IOCL Pipeline in Dwarka, Dug Up 40-m Tunnel to Carry Out Theft

Indian Oil was caught off guard as it discovered the daring theft of oil worth lakhs from one of its pipelines in Pochanpur village in Dwarka. The accused, who was arrested, had dug up a 40-m tunnel through which he was stealing oil since June, police said. The company has not yet confirmed the amount of oil stolen.

Dwarka deputy commissioner of police M Harsha Vardhan said several instruments used to commit the crime have been recovered from the site of the theft. The IOCL official suspected that there was oil theft in the area and had alerted police, following which both stepped up technical surveillance.

Delhi Police said the accused was continuously stealing oil from the IOCL pipeline, which is 2 m under the ground. The accused dup up a tunnel measuring 40 to 45 m near the underground pipeline that opened onto a nearby plot, through which he directed another pipe to steal the oil, they said.

Police further said it was found that the owner of the plot where the tunnel opened had been stealing the oil.