KOHAT: Police here have arrested eight members of an inter-provincial gang for stealing crude oil and seized 17 drums of oil which they had stolen after making a hole in the main pipeline from Mela rig of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited at Karori Kallay in Shakardarra town.

Lachi circle DSP Nazir Hussain told a press conference on Thursday that they had been receiving complaints from the company that a gang was busy in causing millions of rupees losses to it by stealing crude oil and selling it in Punjab.

On confirmation, he accompanied by SHO Fareed Khan and party raided the site where the alleged gang leader, Mohammad Riaz, along with his seven accomplices had made a hole in the main supply line and were filling big drums.

He said vehicles were also stationed there for ferrying the oil to Punjab.

The accused, seven of them hailing from Tangi tehsil of Charsadda, were taken to the police station with items used in drilling of pipeline, vehicles and a case had been registered against them for theft of crude oil and causing losses to the state.

The police said that during interrogation they admitted that they were in the illegal business for quite some time.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2020