Pune: The Loni Kalbhor police successfully busted a fuel theft racket in the Theur Phata area of Pune, where diesel was being stolen and sold on the black market.

Acting on a tip-off, the police raided the location under the guidance of Hadapsar Division’s Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ashwini Rakh and apprehended eight individuals involved in the illegal operation. The police seized goods, including diesel, trucks, and tankers, worth ₹48,01,800.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Shubhan Sushil Bhagat (23), Trishant Rajendra Sumbhe (31), Ravi Kewat (25), Vishal Suresh Gosavi (30), Kiran Haribhau Ambekar (31), Rohit Kumar (21), Shrikant alias Sonya Rajendra Sumbhe, and Praveen Sidrag Madikhambe.

They were caught red-handed siphoning diesel from tankers using electric pumps at a secluded shed near Theur Phata in the Kunjirwadi village, under the Haveli Gram Panchayat limits.

According to the police, the gang had been operating for some time, stealing diesel from tankers belonging to Hindustan Petroleum and Indian Oil and selling it in the black market. Police officer Malhari Shivaji Dhamdhere from the Loni Kalbhor police station filed the case after conducting the raid.

During the operation, the police discovered that to avoid detection, the gang had positioned two large Eicher trucks to block the view of the tanker while diesel was being siphoned into plastic barrels using electric motors.

In the raid, the police seized 1,620 liters of diesel valued at ₹1,45,000, three tankers worth ₹30 lakhs in total, two Eicher trucks valued at ₹16 lakhs, and a car worth ₹50,000. The total value of the seized goods amounted to ₹48,01,800.

The accused have been charged under multiple sections of the Explosives Act and other related laws for stealing and misappropriating government-owned diesel, recklessly handling a highly flammable substance, and selling fuel illegally in the black market.