Months after petrol pump rackets were busted in Uttar Pradesh a similar racket has come to light in Maharashtra where customers were getting less petrol against the amount that they were paying for it. Technicians from six companies have come under scanner for their alleged role in collaborating with the owners of the petrol pump for cheating consumers.
As per a report in The Indian Express, Thane Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh said, “Prima facie, technicians involved in fitting these petrol vending machines are suspected to be involved. There are six major companies, also known as Original Equipment Suppliers (OES), that supply these vending machines across the country. We are taking the help of these companies to zero in on the technicians involved in the scam.”
The police which is conducting raids since June 16 have arrested as many as six people and those arrested are mostly the owners of the petrol pumps or managers. Also, around 11 petrol pumps in Thane, Kongaon, Pune, Nashik, Bhiwandi are under scanner for the alleged involvement in the racket.
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“We suspect 90 percent of the roughly 6,000 petrol pumps in the state to be fudged. Seven teams led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Abhishek Trimukhe have been sent across the state to raid petrol pumps. We suspect the scam has been on for at least a year, ” added Commissioner Param Bir Singh.
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The technicians which installed petrol vending machines were allegedly involved in the changing the software of the machines by which machines dispense less fuel than the amount being charged from the customers.
In April, a similar racket was unearthed in Lucknow where the petrol pump owners have installed the electronic chip or ‘wonder chip’ by which the owners were earning the profits up to Rs 14 lakh every month.
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