20 held over Meghna Petroleum oil theft

Bangladesh Coast Guard has detained 20 persons over pilferage of oil of the state owned Meghna Petroleum from a ship.

The oil was being stolen when the consignment was on its way to Khulna from Chittagong.

General Staff Officer of the Coast Guard’s South Zone Lieutenant Iftekar Hossain said these people were apprehended from a ship of M T Rashed Enterprise from Pirojpur’s Kacha River at Kaukhali launch yard on Wednesday night.

The coast guard after seizing the oil-carrying ship, a trawler used in the theft, 35 drums, brought them to Barishal’s Kirtankhola River.

Of the detained, four were the members of an oil-theft racket while other 16 were the crew of the ship, Iftekar Hossain said. The crew members were arrested for their alleged link with the theft racket.

According to him the members of the racket are, Ansar Uddin and Mohmmad Jahangir of Kaukhali’s Kochuakhati village, A. Salam of Daserkathi village and Mohmmad Farooq of Kumian village.

The detained crew members are, Sahidul Islam, Mohmmad Safi, Mohmmad Raju, Mohmmad Mahasin, Nure Alam, Ziaur Rahman, Mohmmad Sahyed, A Samad, Sekandar Bhuian, Didarul Islam, Mohmmad Sahin, Mohmmad Naseeruddin, Mohmmad Suman, Mohmmad Farooq, Mohmmad Sahidjaman and Masudur Rahman.

Lieutenant Iftekar said that Coast Guard had intensified its vigil on the channel after getting a tipoff about the pilferage.

As part of that heightened vigil a team of Coast Guard had taken a position on the Kaukhali channel on Wednesday evening. “We caught them red-handed when they were loading oil on the trawler from the ship.”

The Khulna-bound ship of MT Rashed Enterprise was carrying 16.73 lakh litres of diesel.

The oil thieves had planned to steal 8.50 thousand litres of oil and for the purpose they had brought 35 drums with a total storing capacity of 230 litres each.

By the time Coast Guard nabbed them, they had already filled 17 drums.

Lieutenant Iftekar said a case would be registered against the 20 in Barisal Katwali Police Station.

Katwali police station’s SI A R Mukul said Coast Guard had filed a FIR and on the basis of that a case would be registered.