Over 30 members of an inter-state-gang, including some fuel station operators, have been arrested for cheating motorists by tweaking fuel-dispensing machines using integrated chips (ICs).
The accused petrol bunk operators have been short supplying (2-3%) fuel to motorists.
Addressing a press conference, Cyberabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar said simultaneous searches were conducted in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and they arrested 13 persons, including nine fuel station operators from the state.
In AP, officials arrested 19 persons, while seven accused, including two key accused — Jo Joseph and Shibu Thomas—are at large.
Jo Joseph and Shibu Thomas, both residents of Mumbai, had created ICs to tinker with the software of fuel-dispensing machines.
They supplied the ICs to Sheik Subhani of Eluru in Andhra Pradesh. Subhani in turn supplied the ICs to greedy petrol bunk owners in the two Telugu states. In Andhra, 22 fuel stations were sealed, while in Telangana 11 were shut down.
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“Cyberabad police have gathered information about fuel stations where ICs were installed with the connivance of outlet owners, and causing loss to consumers by delivering less fuel than what was on the display board (i.e 2%-3% less for 1,000ml),’’ Sajjanar said.
Subhani reportedly bought each chip from the Mumbai-based duo by paying 1.2 lakh. He has a deep understanding about the mechanics of the fuel-dispensing machine and conspired to help the greedy fuel station owners in short filling motorists to increase their profits.
Speaking to TOI, AP legal metrology department controller M Kantha Rao said Subhani has over 10 years of expertise in installing manipulated chips in fuel-dispensing machines to deliver less petrol than actual display on board/meter. “Previously, there were instances where people had tampered other parts of the machine like pulser meter or mother board.
However, this is a new modus operandi. We have alerted the fuel-dispensing machine manufacturing companies about this,” Rao said. He admitted that it was easier for petrol stations to uninstall the chips.
Cyberabad police have recovered 14 ICs (chips), eight displays, three GBR cables, a motherboard, a car from Subhani.
Police had found manipulation was done at five IOC outlets, four bunks each of BPCL and HPCL.
In the state, police sealed fuel stations at Nandigama in Shadnagar, Alladurg, Domakonda in Kammareddy, Kotpally in Vikarabad, Melacheruvu and Chilkuru in Suryapet, Motakondur and Bibinagar in Bhongir, RC Puram and BDL Bhanoor in Sangareddy and informed the corporations concerned. Similarly, in AP, nine petrol stations in West Godavari, three in East Godavari district, one each in Chittoor, Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam were sealed.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
