3 barges raided, illegal diesel stock seized

Following information of illegal stock of diesel on three barges in the Belapur creek, the Navi Mumbai crime branch raided them and recovered 16,600 litres of diesel.

Following information of illegal stock of diesel on three barges in the Belapur creek, the Navi Mumbai crime branch raided them and recovered 16,600 litres of diesel.

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The total property seized, including the barges, is worth around Rs 28 lakh.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Dattatrey Shinde, coastal security branch, Assistant Police Commissioner Sanjay

More and staff along with Assistant Police Commissioner Shirsat and police inspector Sanjay Kamble of the crime branch reached the spot around 400 metres from Ulwe jetty on the police speedboats, Karnala and Suraksha, at 1.55am on Thursday.

Shinde said: “In the first barge, 1,200 litres of illegal stock of diesel worth Rs 48,000 was found. In the second, 400 litres of diesel worth Rs 16,000 was found hidden in a plastic tank. The search of the third diesel led the police officials to 15,000 litres of illegal diesel stock worth Rs 6 lakh.”

The officials seized the three barges worth Rs 21 lakh and diesel apart from two mobile phones and two suction pumps, totally worth Rs 27.75 lakh.

Manojsingh Gatwar (25), Vijaysingh Gatwar (21), Rooplal Mahanto (20), Ramdev Murmur (20), Dinesh Marande (25), Sureshkumar Mahato (25) and Chandrika Turi (23), all labourers residing near the creek, were also arrested.

The case is now being investigated by Avinash Dharmadhikari, police inspector (crime).