A recent incident in Rawalpindi’s Dhamial neighbourhood, involving the destruction of three houses due to a fire and subsequent explosion, has brought to light a clandestine oil theft operation. The nefarious activities centered around a 10-inch diameter pipeline owned by Pakistan Oilfields Limited (POL), responsible for supplying crude oil to a local oil refinery.
Similar complaints about oil theft from pipelines belonging to Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Pak-Arab Refinery (PARCO) have surfaced in Muzaffargarh’s Mahmoodkot town, with law enforcement periodically discovering oil theft points and gangs. The Minute Mirror investigation uncovered that the modus operandi of these oil thieves involves installing clips in underground pipelines to siphon oil into tanker trucks.
According to a report in Daily Khabrain, a notorious gang comprising local police officials, PSO personnel, and security personnel overseeing the installation is allegedly orchestrating and supporting these criminal operations.
This illicit activity not only affects the oil supply chain and depletes public funds but also poses a severe threat of a large-scale disaster akin to the recent fire in Rawalpindi. Quick action by firefighters prevented a potential calamity near an oil refinery in the Jorian area of Dhamial, with no reported casualties.
Preliminary investigations conducted by experts and POL reveal a sophisticated operation where the suspects rented a house, dug a tunnel to the main pipeline, and clandestinely siphoned crude oil through a 20-foot underground temporary pipe. The stolen oil was then stored in an underground tank within the premises.
When approached for comments, both the police and officials from PSO and PARCO denied the allegations, saying they were committed to safeguard the oil supply network.
