Diesel stolen from an electric motor by installing a pipe in a ship on the island of Surat at midnight: Oil spills amidst mud and dense bushes all around, modus operandi that splashes on the boat

The Surat Special Operations Group (SOG) has busted a huge diesel theft racket operating on Kedia Island between the mouth of the Tapi river and the sea near Gaviar village in Surat. The gang had been operating its network in the Mediterranean for the past five years in a highly secure manner. The operation was carried out on the basis of accurate intelligence received by the police, in which the police succeeded in busting a major hideout of illegal activities taking place through the sea route. In this scam, the smugglers used to install an electric motor in the ship and pull diesel through the pipeline and put it in a drum and sell it at a cheap price. Muddy and dense bushes all around The island of Kedia, the epicentre of the theft, is located in a geographically extremely remote area. Located about 3 kilometres from the coast, the island is surrounded by mud and dense shrubs, making it difficult for the general public or security agencies to reach there. The criminals took advantage of this geographical location to set up a makeshift depot-like structure where they used to hide the stolen goods. The modus operandi of the good The method of theft of the accused was very high tech and dangerous. In the middle of the night, they would take small boats and approach large container ships or oil tankers standing in the sea. They used to target ships that had 10,000 to 15,000 litres of diesel. By installing an electric motor in the fuel tank of the ship, he used to draw diesel directly into his boat through a long pipeline, due to which no one even suspected it. Bringing barrels of diesel to the island, selling them ashore The stolen diesel and flammable chemicals were brought to the island. Plastic and iron barrels of hundreds of litres capacity were hidden in the thick bushes. The island had become a safe haven for illegal storage of fuel. The accused used to bring diesel to the shore in small quantities as per the requirement from here and sell it. Sold at Rs 75 per litre instead of Rs 90 per litre The consumers of this stolen fuel were mainly local fishermen and shrimp farming pond owners. The price of diesel in the market is around Rs 90 per liter, but this gang used to sell it at a cheaper price of Rs 15 to Rs 20 i.e. only Rs 75. Farmers used to buy this cheap fuel as diesel was used to draw water from the shrimp pond. The operation was carried out by digging mud for 18 hours: DCP of SOG According to DCP Rajdeep Singh Nakum, the police team reached Kedia Island by boat with necessary food and water. There was a continuous search operation by digging mud and mud for 17 to 18 hours. It was also a physically tough task for the police to bring the heavy barrels ashore from this island in the Mediterranean sea. Police are currently probing the mobile call details and financial transactions of these accused to reach out to others involved in the chain. They further said that the police have taken action under sections of the new Indian Judicial Code in connection with the crime. These include sections related to theft, breach of trust, criminal conspiracy and negligent storage of inflammable substances. The police are now collecting evidence to see if the racket poses a threat to national security, as access to ships in the middle of the sea would be a serious security lapse. Police seized 75 drums, including stolen diesel worth around Rs 10 lakh. Police recovered a large quantity of diesel in unclaimed condition from the coastal area during the investigation. Police have seized a total of 75 drums, including stolen diesel worth around Rs 10 lakh. Currently the SOG Police have seized all these items and further investigations are underway to nab the persons involved in the crime. This successful operation has brought a major check on illegal maritime activities. There is also a strong suspicion that the crew members of international shipping lines are involved in the entire scam. According to SOG officials, it is not possible to steal such a large quantity of diesel without the connivance of the ship's sailors. Investigations have revealed that a well-orchestrated nexus was operating to divert the excess stock on the ship to the mafia, the details of which are likely to be revealed in the coming days.