Tinsukia: Police on Monday unearthed an alleged condensate theft racket involving the unauthorised tapping of an Oil India Limited (OIL) pipeline in Assam’s Tinsukia district, seizing around 1,450 litres of the petroleum product and arresting one suspect during a pre-dawn raid.
Acting on specific intelligence, a joint team from Gelephukuri Outpost and Barekuri Police Station raided the suspected site and discovered an illegal connection to an OIL pipeline allegedly being used to siphon condensate.
One accused was apprehended during the operation, while another fled, taking advantage of the darkness.
Police seized approximately 1,450 litres of condensate, including 25 plastic gallons with a capacity of 50 litres each and a drum containing around 200 litres.
Officers also recovered 10 empty 50-litre plastic gallons, another drum, a hose pipe connected to the illegally tapped pipeline, and a handmade filtering arrangement allegedly used to extract and process the condensate.
“Acting on credible intelligence, a joint team from Gelephukuri Outpost and Barekuri Police Station conducted an early morning raid and busted an illegal condensate theft operation involving unauthorised tapping of an OIL pipeline.
One accused was apprehended, while others fled. A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway,” Assam Police said in a statement.
Investigators are trying to identify the remaining suspects and ascertain whether the operation was linked to a wider network involved in the illegal trade of petroleum products.
Condensate is a light hydrocarbon liquid separated from natural gas during production and is valued as a refinery feedstock for fuels and petrochemicals.
Its high commercial value has made it a frequent target of theft in Upper Assam’s oilfields, with police and security agencies having cracked several similar pipeline-tapping and condensate theft cases in recent years.