Following the attack on Malegaon additional collector Yashwant Sonawane in Manmad, the Mumbai police have got cracking on oil mafia operators in Mumbai.
Following the attack on Malegaon additional collector Yashwant Sonawane in Manmad, the Mumbai police have got cracking on oil mafia operators in Mumbai.
Officers of Mumbai Crime Branch on Thursday night raided a unit in Vakola. At least 1,32,000 litres of oil was seized. Also, 320 people were arrested in 165 raids across the state. The home department has announced that it will seal petrol pumps selling adulterated diesel or petrol.
“We have decided to involve all departments,” Umeshchandra Sarangi, additional chief secretary, home. “To ensure effective coordination between home, food and civil supply, excise, revenue, we will have to make changes in the existing rules. In the first meeting held on Thursday, we decided to have a strong coordination between all the departments.”
Home minister RR Patil said that two major depots involved in adulteration in the city is under the scanner. “A kingpin, Gafar, too has been arrested,” he said.
Giving details about the Vakola raid, a source in the crime branch said that they got specific information about oil adulteration happening at at Panama Compound, Kalina Road, in Vakola. At least 15 officers raided three godowns, the source said. The raid started at 9pm and went on till four in the morning on Friday.
“We have seized around 800 drums containing 1,32,000 litres of oil valued at Rs36 lakh,” senior inspector Ansar Peerzade said. “The godown belongs to Abdul Gafoor Hasan Shaikh, a resident of Saki Naka. He has been arrested.”
Gafoor and eight other people have been booked under various sections of the Essential Commodities Act and the Indian Penal Code. “We have sealed the godowns and policemen have been posted,” another officer said.
“The accused used to buy used oil from big companies,” the officer said. “They would then recycle it by mixing colour and selling it at cheaper rates to those who could not buy original oil.”
Another raid was carried out in Shashtri Nagar, Vakola, where the police seized nearly 85,000 litres of black oil. The police are on the lookout for two people - Jeetubhai and Sohrab. They are accused of running the adulteration racket, an officer said.
“We have mobilised our informants to find out details about the people involved and places were adulteration is carried out,” Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police, crime, said. “We will continue with the raids till we get to the bottom of this. Earlier, we had arrested Mohammad Ali and busted his entire network, which was active in the high seas.”
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