Police recovered pipes, clamps and tools used to dig the tunnel, which had been designed specifically for oil theft.
KARACHI:
The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) foiled an attempt to steal oil from the National Petroleum Refinery by discovering an underground tunnel in the Korangi industrial area on Thursday. The operation, carried out by SIU police in Mehran Town area, led to the discovery of a well-planned oil theft plot.
According to SIU sub-inspector Owais Tanoli, the criminals had dug a 15-16 feet deep pit inside a garment warehouse in Mehran town. From the bottom of the well they built a tunnel approximately 140 meters long and four feet wide, which was to reach the pipeline connected to the National Petroleum Refinery.
The SIU had received a tip-off from a reliable informant about the dumping of large quantities of soil from the warehouse into the Malir River. Based on this information, Sub-Inspector Owais Tanoli led a raid on the warehouse, where the tunnel was discovered.
Four suspects were arrested during the raid. Police recovered pipes, clamps and tools used to dig the tunnel, which had been designed specifically for oil theft. SIU officials confirmed that timely action had averted a major potential disaster in the Korangi industrial area.
