Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur

Kundapur, Mar 12: Acting on information about ongoing fuel theft from tankers, Kundapur sub-division DYSP H D Kulkarni conducted a raid at a service station near Subbarao Complex in Siddapur on the night of March 10.

During the operation, the prime suspect, Vijay Naik, managed to escape, while the tanker driver, Jayaram, was arrested and remanded to judicial custody. Vijay Naik, who runs a tourist vehicle service and a service station in Siddapur, was reportedly operating the illegal oil trade from the same premises.

Absconding Vijay Naik

Diesel and petrol seized

According to Shankaranarayana station PSI Naseer Hussain, when DYSP Kulkarni raided the service station, Vijay Naik and tanker driver Jayaram were caught siphoning diesel from a Bharat Petroleum tanker. Police seized the Mangaluru-registered tanker, along with 1,020 litres of diesel, 30 litres of petrol, three pipes, and a lift motor used for extracting fuel.

Modus operandi

Tankers transporting fuel from Mangaluru to other parts of the state would stop at Vijay Naik’s service station, where, with the driver’s cooperation, fuel was illegally siphoned and stored. It is alleged that the stolen fuel was used for Vijay Naik’s fleet of tourist vehicles. Investigations are underway to determine if others were involved in this illicit operation, which was being run in the heart of the town.

Police are continuing their search for Vijay Naik.