Udalguri-Sonitpur, Aug 28: A racket allegedly involved in the theft and illegal sale of railway diesel was busted at Rangapara Railway Junction in Sonitpur district, with nine people arrested, sources said.
Acting on confidential information, a Military Intelligence team from the Missamari Regiment of the Indian Army intercepted a Bolero pickup van bearing registration number AS 12 CC 4188 at Rangapara Railway Station around 5 am on Friday. The team allegedly seized around 74 drums of diesel from the vehicle.
Sources alleged that diesel allocated for railway operations had been stolen from the junction for several years and sold in the black market.
The seized consignment was handed over to the Railway Police for further investigation. Police subsequently arrested nine people allegedly involved in the illegal trade. The alleged prime accused, Bibhuban Bijoy Rabha, was being questioned.
According to sources, Mansur Hussain, an oil trader allegedly associated with the so-called “Gang of Five” involved in the illegal fuel trade in Missamari, had allegedly purchased the fuel from railway sources.
Sources further alleged that around 1,200 litres of diesel was diverted and sold commercially during each transaction, approximately three days a week, with the total quantity reportedly reaching around 6,000 litres a month.
The accused allegedly switched off CCTV cameras during the theft to prevent the activities from being recorded. The racket was suspected to have been operating in Rangapara for seven to eight years.
A team from the Rangiya Railway Division was continuing the investigation into the alleged long-running fuel theft operation.
