The amount cheated in the Valley was disclosed by investigators from Metropolitan Police Crime Division, Teku, who are preparing to file court cases.“Going by the scale of fuel transactions, we calculated the amount duped from consumers through devices installed inside the pumps and activated by remote control,” SP Sahakul Thapa, spokesperson of the Metropolitan Police Crime Division, said.
Following complaints by consumers, police had raided 22 fuel stations in the Valley and arrested the operators. Of those implicated in the cheating, seven are still at large, police said.
According to the Crime Division, Cristal Fuel Supplier, Balaju, cheated the public of Rs 16.5 million, Unique Fuel Center cheated Rs 9.8 million, Gayetri Devi Oil Store Rs 10.9 million, Mahalaxmi Biswakarma Oil Store Rs 13.5 million, Trishakti Fuel Center Rs 9.9 million, New Banglamukhi Oil Store Rs 9.38 million and Rajdhani Oil Store cheated Rs 16.3 million.
Similarly, New Pashupati Oil Trade cheated Rs 12.5 million, Pujakothi Petrol Pump Rs 12.6 million, Dibya Suppliers 9.4 million, Prabin Oil Store Rs 9.3 million and Kamakhya Oil 13.5 million over the period.
Police found that the fuel stations had devised a cunning method of tampering with the fuel-dispensing mechanism to increase the fuel delivery pulse so that the money charged and the fuel pumped are shown to match accurately. They devised both digital and manual tampering controlled by cards or chips activated by remote control.
Five Indian mechanics installed the tampering mechanisms and were paid about Rs 35,000 per pump for their work. The mechanism could cause a shortfall of about four liters for every 100 liters of fuel dispensed.
Petrol stations in Nepal see transactions of Rs 150 billion per year and they cheat the consumers of billions, police said. “We are going to raid some other petrol pumps also when the time is ripe,” SP Thapa added.
Police further said that there was a huge racket behind the tampering. The 13 petrol pumps implicated have now been sealed.
Those arrested are liable to five years in prison and fines equal to the amounts cheated if proved guilty.
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