Surat Crime Branch arrests mastermind of Rs. 400 crore IOCL crude oil theft gang

Surat: The Surat city crime branch has arrested Sandeep Gupta from Ahmedabad for stealing crude oil by puncturing the pipeline of IOCL (Indian Oil Corporation). Sandeep is allegedly the mastermind behind an inter-state gang that stole crude oil, causing a loss of more than Rs. 400 crores to the national wealth.

Acting on a tip-off that Sandeep, also known as Sandy, was residing in Ahmedabad, a team from the Surat city crime branch arrived in Ahmedabad and arrested the accused from SG Highway. The accused was then taken to Surat for interrogation. During questioning, it was revealed that he, along with other gang members, pilfered oil from IOCL’s Mundra-Panipat pipeline that passes through Rajasthan. The racket leased an HPCL petrol pump near Bargam in Beawar district for three years. From this petrol pump, they dug a tunnel about 10 to 12 feet deep and 50 feet long to the IOCL pipeline. After puncturing the pipeline and fitting valves, crude oil worth crores was stolen.

Rajendra Jain, Pradip Kumar Mali, Akash Jain, Sohanlal Bishnoi, and Ashish Meena were the other gang members involved in the crime with Sandeep, he told the police during questioning.

Crime Branch DCP Bhavesh Rozia stated that the arrested accused, Sandeep Gupta alias Sandy Vijendrakumar Gupta, is a resident of Gurugram, Haryana. The accused has been involved in oil theft crimes since 2006-2007 and is an expert in stealing oil with the help of his accomplices in different states of India. From 2006-07 to 2021-22, the gang was involved in crude oil theft. Sandeep was earlier arrested in 2021 after a case under GujCTOC was filed against him, but he absconded after getting interim bail in cases in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Later, on 02/01/2023, the accused was apprehended by the Surat Crime Branch in Kolkata.

As per the modus operandi, the accused would rent biological factories, sheds, or petrol pumps within 1-2 km of where the oil company’s pipeline passed. They would then puncture the pipeline and extend it to the factory/shed, filling the oil in containers instead of tankers. Sandeep Gupta’s gang used to steal oil in 3-4 containers at night, making it difficult for the police or the oil company to detect. Several police stations have seized 15-20 containers worth 40-50 lakh. Gupta earned crores of rupees by creating a network with oil mafias in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.

Accused Sandeep, along with his gang, has been involved in oil thefts amounting to about Rs. 400 crores in Alwar, Chittorgarh, Sirohi, Bharatpur, Abu Road, Behror, and Beawar in Rajasthan; Sonipat, Rohtak, Gohana, and Jhajjar in Haryana; Morbi and Kheda in Gujarat; and Kolkata and Bardhaman in West Bengal. DeshGujarat