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The police uncovered an underground tunnel, stretching approximately 25 feet, that had been secretly dug to access HPCL’s underground pipeline
Once the tunnel reached the pipeline, the culprits punctured it and began extracting diesel in significant quantities. (News18 Hindi)
In an astonishing case that sounds more like a movie plot than a real-life crime, police in the Bagru area of Rajasthan uncovered an elaborate diesel theft operation involving a hand-dug tunnel leading to a high-pressure underground pipeline owned by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL).
The shocking discovery came after Jaipur’s DCP (West) Amit Kumar received a tip-off about possible diesel pilferage in Dahmi Kalan village. Acting swiftly, a joint team from DTC West and the Bagru police station raided a house that appeared, at first glance, to be operating as a mineral water bottling unit. What they uncovered instead was an underground tunnel, stretching approximately 25 feet, that had been secretly dug to access HPCL’s underground pipeline.
During the raid, one accused named Rajesh was caught at the scene. However, the alleged mastermind of the operation, a man named Shravan, along with other accomplices, managed to flee and are currently being hunted by police teams.
The gang had reportedly rented the house around a month and a half ago under the guise of running a legal business. The owner, Parmeshwar Dayal, had no apparent knowledge of the criminal activity. Police say the group spent weeks quietly excavating a tunnel beneath the property, which ultimately reached the underground pipeline.
Once the tunnel reached the pipeline, the culprits punctured it and began extracting diesel in significant quantities. This diesel was then sold in the local market at below-market prices, yielding huge profits.
Investigations revealed that Shravan, the mastermind of this crime, had earlier been arrested in a similar diesel theft case in Jaipur’s Kalwad police station limits. Despite being under scrutiny, he managed to regroup and orchestrate this new operation.
The police have seized a pickup truck from the location that was allegedly being used to transport the stolen fuel. Forensic teams are now examining the tunnel and the tampered pipeline segment.
The operation was meticulously planned. From renting a house to digging the tunnel and masking it under the cover of a legal business; everything was done with precision, said a senior police officer familiar with the investigation.
Rajesh, the arrested accused, is being interrogated to extract further details about the gang’s operations and the whereabouts of the absconding members. Multiple raids are currently underway to apprehend Shravan and others involved.
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