Navi Mumbai: diesel smuggling on the high seas, 5 detained | News from Navi Mumbai
NAVI MUMBAI: The Navi Mumbai Crime Branch team busted a high seas diesel smuggling racket by arresting five accused men and seized 21,470 liters of diesel stored by them in the concealed compartments of two tugboats.
The police even seized Rs 6.85 lakh in cash which they earned after illegally selling 9300 liters of diesel. Also, the two tugs worth Rs 12 lakh, which were used for storage of illegally purchased diesel.
The men arrested are Salim Shaikh (50) residing in Ghatkopar, Asif Waliyani (46) residing in Mazgaon and three residents of Pen in Raigad identified as Pravin Naik (34), Vithal Devkate (19) and Datta Devkate ( 24 years old), both siblings. .
Police Commissioner Bipin Kumar Singh informed that the five accused men were buying diesel from crew members of foreign commercial vessels sailing the high seas, for Rs 60 a liter and selling the fuel to owners of fishing trawlers for Rs 73 or Rs 75. per liter and make huge profits.
Since diesel is sold at the petrol pump for Rs 95 a litre, even buyers were saving money. As the five accused men were selling diesel without obtaining the compulsory license from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and had caused a loss of revenue to the government, they were arrested at NRI Coastal Police Station under Section 285 of the IPC for negligent driving in relation to fire or combustible materials as well as the Essentials Act, Motor Petrol and High Speed Diesel Act, Petroleum Products Ordinance 1999 (maintaining production, storage and supply) and the Petroleum Act. »
A Criminal Branch officer familiar with the investigation said: “Crime DCP Suresh Mengade received a tip about smuggling diesel on the high seas. Therefore, he took two officers from Unit 1 of the criminal branch and together with the Mumbai ration comptroller team, the team set off in a speedboat from Gateway of India to search for the diesel smugglers on Thursday evening.As the team reached Karanjade stream at Uran, they spotted two stable tugs in the middle of the creek.The police team speedboat approached them and found five men in the two tugs, in which they found two concealed compartments in which a Huge amount of smuggled diesel was stored.The men were arrested and they revealed that they were buying the diesel from the crew members of ships sailing on the high seas, at a cheaper price compared to the market price.They confessed have already come of 9300 liters of diesel for Rs 75 per liter to various owners of fishing trawlers, after illegally buying the diesel for Rs 60 per litre. »
The police even seized Rs 6.85 lakh in cash which they earned after illegally selling 9300 liters of diesel. Also, the two tugs worth Rs 12 lakh, which were used for storage of illegally purchased diesel.
The men arrested are Salim Shaikh (50) residing in Ghatkopar, Asif Waliyani (46) residing in Mazgaon and three residents of Pen in Raigad identified as Pravin Naik (34), Vithal Devkate (19) and Datta Devkate ( 24 years old), both siblings. .
Police Commissioner Bipin Kumar Singh informed that the five accused men were buying diesel from crew members of foreign commercial vessels sailing the high seas, for Rs 60 a liter and selling the fuel to owners of fishing trawlers for Rs 73 or Rs 75. per liter and make huge profits.
Since diesel is sold at the petrol pump for Rs 95 a litre, even buyers were saving money. As the five accused men were selling diesel without obtaining the compulsory license from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and had caused a loss of revenue to the government, they were arrested at NRI Coastal Police Station under Section 285 of the IPC for negligent driving in relation to fire or combustible materials as well as the Essentials Act, Motor Petrol and High Speed Diesel Act, Petroleum Products Ordinance 1999 (maintaining production, storage and supply) and the Petroleum Act. »
A Criminal Branch officer familiar with the investigation said: “Crime DCP Suresh Mengade received a tip about smuggling diesel on the high seas. Therefore, he took two officers from Unit 1 of the criminal branch and together with the Mumbai ration comptroller team, the team set off in a speedboat from Gateway of India to search for the diesel smugglers on Thursday evening.As the team reached Karanjade stream at Uran, they spotted two stable tugs in the middle of the creek.The police team speedboat approached them and found five men in the two tugs, in which they found two concealed compartments in which a Huge amount of smuggled diesel was stored.The men were arrested and they revealed that they were buying the diesel from the crew members of ships sailing on the high seas, at a cheaper price compared to the market price.They confessed have already come of 9300 liters of diesel for Rs 75 per liter to various owners of fishing trawlers, after illegally buying the diesel for Rs 60 per litre. »