Meegoda Police have arrested the driver of a fuel bowser, his assistant and two other individuals who were attempting to illegally sell a 6,600 litre bowser load of diesel.
A bowser carrying 6,600 liters of diesel was brought to a factory in the Meegoda area to be sold at a higher price of Rs. 900 per liter of diesel. Police said they had planned to sell the entire bowser load of diesel for a sum of Rs. 6 million.
Accordingly, police arrested the driver of the fuel bowser, his assistant and two persons who had acted as lookouts along with the fuel bowser.
The police operation was carried out by deploying undercover officers and establishing relations with the relevant fuel suppliers over the phone based on information received by Meegoda Police OIC, that a racket of illegally providing fuel on a large scale at a high price has been going on for some time.
He said that the arrests were made after the fuel bowser had entered the factory in Meegoda area.
Before the vehicle carrying the relevant fuel stocks arrived at the location, two persons who were acting as lookouts for the illegal transaction were also arrested.
According to the police, it was revealed that the racket of selling fuel at higher prices has been going on for a long time on the advice of an official of the Petroleum Corporation and that the stock of fuel loaded from Muthurajawela had been released to be provided to a factory in Katunayake and was brought to the factory in Meegoda.
The arrested suspects are to be produced before the Homagama Magistrate’s Court today and further investigations will be conducted by the Megoda Police and officials of the Petroleum Corporation regarding this fuel racket.
