Another ship would bring in purloined diesel and store it aboard the Purna. The fuel would then make its way into the city in small quantities, and be sold for as cheap as Rs 18 per litre
Another ship would bring in purloined diesel and store it aboard the Purna. The fuel would then make its way into the city in small quantities, and be sold for as cheap as Rs 18 per litre
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Less than a week after the arrest of diesel smuggling kingpin Bada Noora with a consignment of over 50,000 litres of smuggled diesel, the police on Saturday raided a vessel anchored off Mumbai's coast and seized 27,000 litres of smuggled diesel. The raid, apart from highlighting the extent of the racket, also shows a new modus operandi of diesel smuggling in the city.u00a0 
A key suspectu00a0in the oil smuggling syndicate after being produced before
a magistrate.u00a0 Pic/ SameerR Markande
In a raid that unfolded in the early hours of Saturday, a team of policemen comprising Senior Inspector Rakesh Sharma and Inspectors Nitin Thackeray and Srikant Pawar boarded the vessel Purna. In the past, the vessel has been chartered by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). Before impounding the diesel in the tank, a total of seven suspects on the vessel were arrested.
How it worked
According to the police, Purna is not in operation and was being used by smugglers as a storage tank. A vessel by the name of Sagar Sewak would smuggle in purloined diesel about 100 nautical miles off the city's coast and transfer it on to Purna. The entire operation would take place in the night. The diesel would be stored in the vessel and later sold in small portions.
However, this is not the first time that activities aboard the vessel have been suspected. According to ONGC, its vigilance department had warned the owners of Purna in the past that unauthorised dealings were occurring aboard the vessel. "We warned the owners. We only charter these vessels, not own them,'' said ONGC's spokesperson A Harish.
The underworld is involved
According to the police, most of the suspects involved in diesel smuggling in the city owe their allegiance to the Dawood Ibrahim gang. They operate out of Dongri and Masjid Bunder and lure international mariners who want to make a quick buck to sail close to Mumbai's harbour and sell their stocks to them.
The smugglers, police said, buy diesel for as low as Rs 12 per litre and sell it in Mumbai for Rs 18 per litre. The business of bootlegged diesel, which is sometimes mixed with naphtha and kerosene, is estimated to be around Rs 10,000 crore in the city. These operations also pose a serious security threat to the city, as these vessels can also easily smuggle in arms and ammunition.
50,00 litres worth 1 croreu00a0
Just a week ago, in the wee hours May 14, the police nabbed Noora, who was on his way to the city. He was returning from the deep seas some 100 miles off the city's shores with a consignment of over 50,000 litres of smuggled diesel. He was arrested and the consignment valued at Rs 1 crore was seized before it could make its way into the city.
According to the police, another startling trend is the large numbers of foreign-flagged ships diverting their vessels close to Mumbai to sell surplus diesel. The police have learnt from Noora that captains of many such ships go on austerity drives, switching off auxiliary engines, air conditioners and other equipment on the ship to save fuel. The saved quantity is then sold off to the city's smugglers.
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