Overview
- A supplies-department check on Thursday led officers to stop a tanker at the Kharigaon toll naka on the Mumbai–Nashik Highway and recover 25,000 litres of diesel worth about Rs 24.5 lakh.
- Police and Crime Branch inspectors say the vehicle bore “Edible Oil” markings and stored diesel across five compartments, a tactic allegedly used to evade checks and safety rules for petroleum transport.
- A criminal case names eight people including the tanker owner and driver and invokes the Essential Commodities Act, the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel Order and the Biodiesel Policy.
- Reports conflict on arrests: some outlets and local investigators say the driver was detained and the tanker seized, while official PTI-fed briefings initially reported no arrests as the probe continued.
- Authorities are probing broader maritime links after investigators cited transfers via small boats in the Virar/Vasai creek area, and a follow-up operation recovered an additional 29,000 litres and a second tanker according to police reports.