Pumps found dispensing less fuel to motorists

Kathmandu, November 24

At a time when the country is reeling under acute shortage of fuel, a section of petrol pumps have been found cheating consumers.

The Metropolitan Police Crime Division in association with Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology raided at least 19 petrol pumps in the Kathmandu Valley over a period of three days and initiated legal action against their owners and staffers for dispensing less fuel than what consumers pay for.

SSP Sarbendra Khanal, MPCD in-charge, who spearheaded the crackdown, said motorists were being cheated by petrol pumps for years. “We have so far apprehended owners of seven petrol pumps and four others are still at large. They have been charged under the Black Marketing Act and Fraud Chapter of Muluki Ain,” he informed.

The detainees are Shailendra Kumar Bade (40) of Ekantakuna-based Gayatridevi Oil Stores, Siva Timalsina (35) of Chapagaun-based Shree Mahalaxmi Bishwakarma Traders, Gopal Maharjan (48) of Balkumar-based Unique Fuel Centre, Yunus Pradhan (34) of Sanepa-based Trishakti Fuel Centre, Kalyan Khadka (47) of Balaju-based Crystal Fuel Suppliers, Punya Ram Bakhadeya (49) of Bhaktapur Fuel Centre and Sitaram Ghimire (32) of Sano Bharyang-based New Bagalamukhu Oil Store.

Proprietors of Gopi Krishna-based Rajdhani Oil, Jay Bageshwori-based New Pushpanjali Oil Trader Pvt Ltd, New Bus Park-based Pujakothi Oil Store and Samakhushi-based Diya Suppliers are said to be absconding. Investigation into eight petrol pumps and their owners is under way.

“Fuel pump owners are cheating consumers by tampering with the fuel meters. In digital system, a remote control device is used to dispense less fuel than what consumers pay for,” said SSP Khanal. The petrol pumps were found taking the help of a group of technicians, mostly Indians.

Police have also arrested five technicians who installed tampering devices in petrol pumps. They are Nasim Siddhiqui (44), Ayub Alam (35), Hamid Hussein (35) and Mohammad Abrar (35) of India and Sheikh Imtiaz (35) of Rautahat. Of them, Alam was operating separately. They used to charge Rs 10, 000 to Rs 25,000 for the work.

“The gang of so-called technicians had been working nationwide to import the tampering devices (remote receiver, middle gear, bush gear, switch, chips and code) from Lucknow of India and install it in petrol pumps,” he explained.

Police have confiscated the tampering devices from petrol pumps. They were found to have been dispensing around four per cent less fuel to consumers. As many as 125 petrol pumps are operating in the Valley.