In a significant crackdown, the Delhi Police crime branch has dismantled a sophisticated interstate racket involved in the large-scale theft of diesel from underground pipelines. The operation, which spanned at least three states, was masterminded by two individuals who evolved from simple oil pilferage in the 1990s to a highly structured criminal enterprise.
From Tanker Drivers to Pipeline Tappers
The arrested individuals have been identified as Swaran Singh Sardar and Dharmender. According to police, their criminal journey began in the early 1990s when Swaran worked as a tanker driver and would siphon off fuel from his vehicle. Dharmender, also a driver, later joined him. Over decades, their methods grew more audacious and technically advanced, moving from tankers to directly tapping into high-pressure fuel pipelines.
Their nationwide spree was halted on December 3, when the Delhi Police crime branch, acting on a tip-off, traced and arrested them from the Vikaspuri area of Delhi.
The Modus Operandi: Rent, Dig, Steal
The duo's technique was both meticulous and brazen. They would first conduct extensive surveys of long pipeline stretches, specifically targeting isolated spots behind residential plots or on town outskirts. "To avoid suspicion, they would take a room or a shop on rent and run a small-time businesses like selling mineral water, while preparing to strike," said DCP (Crime) Harsh Indora.
Once settled, they would secretly dig a tunnel from the rented premises towards the pipeline. The digging was done in phases over several days to avoid raising alarm among neighbours. Upon reaching the pipeline, they would fit an improvised metal connection with valves. A plastic hose would then run from this hidden tapping point to storage tanks or directly into waiting tankers, which would transport the stolen fuel under the cover of darkness.
Pan-India Operations and Arrest
The racket first came to light in Jaipur on June 10, when local police detected an illegal tap on the HPCL MDPL pipeline near Dahmi Kalan. Raiding a rented house, they found digging tools, a bedroom tunnel, and a galvanised pipe with valves designed to feed diesel into tankers. HPCL officials promptly removed the illegal fittings. An Assam native who had lived in the house pointed fingers at "Swaran Singh Sardar," prompting Swaran and Dharmender to go underground.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to tapping pipelines not just in Jaipur, but also in Kurukshetra, Bathinda, Paschim Vihar, and Gurgaon. They often employed the same do-it-yourself (DIY) method. The stolen diesel was sold below market price to transporters buying "open diesel" or to industrial buyers via small hired vehicles. They favoured the Jaipur route due to easy access to transporters and heavy goods vehicle movement in the corridor.
Swaran Singh Sardar is linked to over a dozen cases in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Punjab. The charges against him include oil theft, cheating, damaging pipelines, and violations under the Petroleum & Minerals Pipelines Act. Dharmender has been named in cases related to pipeline tapping in Jaipur and Punjab's Bathinda.
The police highlighted that the accused's deep knowledge of the terrain and their constantly shifting techniques kept them a step ahead of law enforcement across multiple states for a considerable time, until the Delhi Police intervention finally brought their elaborate theft network crashing down.
