25k litres of diesel disguised as edible oil seized by cops

Police arrested the driver, Dharmendrakumar Shyamlal Patel (37), a resident of Vashi, Navi Mumbai, and seized the tanker worth ₹22 lakh. Seven others, including tanker owner Ritesh Abhay Narayan Singh from Diva, Thane, and associates from Palghar and Surat, have been named in the case.

THANE: In a crackdown on illegal fuel transport amid reports of fuel shortages in parts of Maharashtra, a tanker carrying 25,000 litres of diesel disguised as edible oil was seized late Friday night, near Kharegaon toll naka on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway.

25k litres of diesel disguised as edible oil seized by cops

Police arrested the driver, Dharmendrakumar Shyamlal Patel (37), a resident of Vashi, Navi Mumbai, and seized the tanker worth ₹22 lakh. Seven others, including tanker owner Ritesh Abhay Narayan Singh from Diva, Thane, and associates from Palghar and Surat, have been named in the case.

Acting on a tip-off, officials intercepted the tanker near the Mumbra diversion road. The vehicle bore an “Edible Oil” label allegedly to evade suspicion. During inspection, officials found diesel stored across five compartments of the tanker. The driver failed to produce valid permits, invoices or transport documents.

Sachin Gaikwad, senior police inspector of Crime Branch Unit-1, said the accused allegedly sourced the fuel through boats operating in Virar creek before transporting it by road towards Nashik.

“The accused violated mandatory safety norms for petroleum transport, posing a serious threat to public safety,” Gaikwad said.

Police suspect the tanker is part of a larger racket in which diesel is siphoned from vessels at sea, transferred through small boats and later transported across the state in tankers disguised as edible oil carriers.

A case has been registered under provisions of the Essential Commodities Act 1955, the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel Order 2005, and the Biodiesel Policy 2021.