A "specialists gang" operating with high precision tools managed to drill a hole and fix a valve in the crude oil pipeline coming from Gujarat to the Indian Oil Corporation's Mathura Oil Refinery to siphon off crude oil.
IOC official Ajay Pal Singh told media persons Friday evening that a case had been registered and investigations were on. The owner of the field where the theft was detected, in Shershah village under Farah thana, is missing.
It took more than 30 hours for the refinery engineers to detect the hole after pressure in the pipeline was recorded low for the past several days. On examining the entire "low pressure area" they found the underground pipeline exposed and a valve fitted into the line. The punctured pipeline has now been fixed and covered.