The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of Karachi Police carried out an operation in the Korangi Industrial Area and thwarted an attempt to steal oil from the National Oil Refinery pipeline.
SIU conducted a raid in the Mehran Town area of the Korangi Industrial Area and discovered an underground tunnel constructed for oil theft, Express News reported on Thursday.
Police said the tunnel had been dug inside a garment warehouse located in Mehran Town.
According to SIU Sub-Inspector Awais Tanoli, the suspects had dug a well approximately 15 to 16 feet deep inside the warehouse for the purpose of oil theft. From the bottom of the well, a tunnel nearly 140 meters long and 4 feet wide had been constructed.
The tunnel was being dug to reach the oil pipeline leading to the National Oil Refinery.
He further said that the SIU received a tip-off from a confidential informant that a large quantity of soil was being removed from a warehouse and dumped into the Malir River.
The arrested suspects have been handed over to Korangi Industrial Area police for further legal proceedings, while further investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Unfortunately, such incidents are not uncommon in the port city. Last year, the police arrested four suspects for their alleged involvement in stealing oil from a pipeline in Korangi.
According to the police, they received a lead that an organized gang had constructed a structure in a desolate area under the jurisdiction of the Awami Colony police station to steal oil from an underground pipeline that transports the commodity from the port to a refinery in Korangi.
