Ahmedabad: Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), in coordination with Rajasthan Police, busted an interstate gang that tapped an HPCL pipeline in Rajasthan to steal crude oil for sale along the Ahmedabad-Rajkot highway. Eight people, including five from Gujarat, have been arrested.The operation followed intelligence inputs to Gujarat ATS about a group from Gujarat and Rajasthan allegedly planning to target the pipeline that passes through barren stretches in Rajasthan’s Balotra district.ATS teams started tracking the suspected network and intercepted a man near Sokhda village, close to Kuwadva on the Ahmedabad-Rajkot highway. According to police, the man told investigators that the crude oil in his possession had been brought from Kaludi village in Balotra district.This led ATS to a dhaba in Tapra in Rajasthan from where seven other suspected members of the network were picked up. All eight were questioned at Jasol police station.The accused revealed they had dug a pit three to four feet deep on a barren stretch on the outskirts of Kaludi village and punctured the HPCL pipeline. They would allegedly draw oil using a valve they installed. Cops found the valve in the pit. Rajasthan Police filed a case under BNS, the Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.The eight accused are Ghanshyam Soni (54) of Mehsana; Jayrajsinh Chudasama (34) of Dhoraji; ; Mukesh Meghwal (44) of Jalore, Rajasthan, currently residing in Ahmedabad; Ranjit Chaurasia (48) of Kalol; Ramesh Thakor(41) of Chalasan, Mehsana; Sureji Thakor (32) of Jotana; Mahesh Thakur (32) of Chalasan and Dilip Yadav (35) of Etawah, UP.
