The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR against three employees of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) in alleged pilferage of petroleum products.
The HPCL employees have been booked for criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal breach of trust.
Earlier, the HP High Court had handed over the investigations to CBI in May this year after which the investigating agency has registered a preliminary inquiry and has submitted status report in the case in August.
The oil pilferage case pertains to transportation of petroleum products during the period from March to December 2016.
The HPCL Bathinda authorities had alleged that their staff in connivance with the carriers (Tank Trucks) had caused losses worth several crores of rupees to the corporation.
The HPCL has awarded contract for supply of bulk petroleum products through tank-trucks from Bathinda in Punjab to Nalagarh Himachal Pradesh.
It is further alleged that oil/petroleum products were being pilfered out of the HPCL refinery, Bhatinda depot in connivance with the officers/officials of the corporation.
At the time of loading of petroleum products, the Tank Trucks used to report leakage and as per standard procedure, these have to be unloaded at the Bathinda Depot. But due to the connivance of HPCL employees and carriers, the norm wasn’t followed which resulted in losses worth crore of rupees to the corporation.
The Statesman
