Massive oil theft uncovered from POL pipeline in Rawalpindi

RAWALPINDI: Police have arrested five suspects for stealing crude oil worth millions of rupees from an underground pipeline of Pakistan Oilfields Limited (POL) in Rawalpindi’s Dhamial area.

The arrests followed a fire that broke out in an oil tanker in a warehouse two days ago. Initially, the blaze was treated as an accident, but investigators later found it had occurred during large-scale theft of crude oil from the company’s pipeline.

‘Pakistan has vast oil reserves, awards exploration rights to 13 firms’

POL’s supply line passes underground through Dhamial, and the organised theft of oil in such quantities has baffled officials.

The incident unfolded when a tanker parked in a warehouse in Dhamial suddenly caught fire. A POL patrolling supervisor reported the incident to the company, after which police and Rescue 1122 teams reached the site.

According to POL’s Senior Executive Admin Shahid Ahmed, staff had been alerted after noticing thick black smoke, which typically indicates fire involving oil or gas.

During inspection, officials found a dumper truck loaded with gravel concealing a tanker inside, while another tanker was discovered within the same premises.

Pakistan’s oil and gas production hits two-decade low

Investigations revealed that the suspects had dug a tunnel to access the underground pipeline. They had clamped into a 10-inch crude oil pipeline, laid a concealed pipe from there to the house, and were filling oil tankers with the stolen crude.

Police said the suspects had so far siphoned off more than 12,000 barrels of crude oil, valued at over Rs250 million. A 750-foot-long pipeline had been laid from the house to connect with the main supply line, they said.

Two oil tankers, rubber pipes, pistols and other equipment were seized from the site. The arrested suspects were identified as Sharafat Ali, Muhammad Bilal, Muhammad Wajid, Sher Khan and Fazal Sher.

Police said they were investigating where the stolen oil was being transported and how long the theft had been taking place.

Meanwhile, there had also been reports of oil theft from the supply line feeding POL’s Attock Refinery between Pind Fateh and Morgah, though the exact location had not been traced. The latest theft only came to light after the fire incident.