DADU, June 17: Four thieves were arrested while stealing oil from a pipeline of the Pak Arab Refinery Company near Bubak on Tuesday and an oil tanker, car, pistol, and machinery used in the theft were recovered from their possession.

Five members of the gang of the thieves escaped from the spot.

Two teams of Parco were visiting the pipeline between Sehwan and Bubak. When they arrived at point-213 of the pipeline, they saw nine thieves stealing oil with the use of automatic machinery and filling an oil tanker.

The Parco teams informed the Sehwan police which rushed to the spot, cordoned off the area and asked the thieves to surrender.

But the thieves opened fire on the police which retaliated.

According to the police, after half an hour-long exchange of fire, they arrested four thieves, Jamsher, resident of Landi Kotal, Qadir, resident of Swat (NWFP), Qurban Ali Solangi, resident of Dadu, and Lal Bukhsh Leghari, resident of Wariyaso village, Johi taluka.

However, five other thieves escaped from the scene.

The police recovered the oil tanker (LSA-1285), a car (7261), a pistol, 20 bullets, clips used for reducing oil pressure and some automatic machinery used in the theft.

Sehwan SHO Jawed Ahmed Lakhair told this correspondent that the thieves had filled their oil tanker with 44,000 litres of oil.

He said that the police had registered an FIR under section 324, QDO, 511, 427, 379, 353, PPC and 13, Anti-National Activities Act-1972, against the nine thieves.

Dadu DPO (operation) Ali Akbar Bhangwar said that the escaping thieves were five local men, including Haji Buriro of Bhan Saeedabad.

He said that action would be taken against police officials involved in oil theft in Dadu district for several years.

One of the arrested thief, Qadir, said at the police station that he had come to fix the clips and machinery with the pipe line for which he was promised a payment of Rs20,000.

ARRESTED: On a tip off, the Mehar police arrested three alleged criminals — Khadim Khoso, Nazar Khoso and Bahadur Mahesar— on Mehar-Radhan road near Dipri village on Tuesday. The police recovered three guns and 30 cartridges from their possession.