Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) sealed eight petrol pumps in the state capital after they were found using electronic chips for fuel theft and giving the consumers less petroleum products. An electronic chip costing just Rs 3,000 gives a profit worth lakhs of rupees to petrol pump owners in the state capital. STF UP Police busted a state-wide racket of pump owners who were using this chip in their dispensing machines to dupe gullible consumers. The STF sleuths identified eight such petrol pumps in the state capital and seized them late last evening. Giving details of the operation, ASP (STF) Arvind Chaturvedi said that on an informer’s tip-off, the sleuths came to know about one Ravinder, who worked as an electrician in Lucknow. Ravinder had developed a chip for just Rs 3,000 which if installed in the dispensing machine reduced the output by nearly 6 per cent, Chaturvedi said. Chaturvedi added, “The chip is attached with a wire which is linked with a remote control.” Ravinder reportedly informed that the STF seluths that he sold this chip to over 1,000 petrol pump owners across UP. On his identification, eight pumps were raided in the city -three at Sitapur Road and one each in Cantonment, Chinhat at Kamta crossing, Samta Mulak crossing in Gomtinagar and KGMU. All were using the chip.
The STF team has recovered remotes from the managers. “The remote control is used to set the limit. If a customer takes 1 litre petrol from any station, in reality he receives only 940 ml if the dispensing machine is fitted with this chip. So, 60 ml goes into the account of the pump owner,” explains an STF member.
