Aurangabad, Feb 28:
A state-level supply department team conducted a raid on an illegal bio-diesel depot at a farmhouse in Golwadi Shivar on the new Solapur - Dhule Highway on Sunday.
Cases have been registered against 9 persons including the kingpin Kalim Qureshi. Articles including a container, truck, bio-diesel, all amounting to Rs 57.30 lakh have been seized.
A state-level team of the civil supplies controller office, Mumbai, squad including deputy controller Ganesh Bellale, Santosh Shinde, Sushil Salaskar, Sandeep Acharekar, Amol Butte, Mahesh Deshpande and Aurangabad supply department inspector Anuradha Patil conducted a raid on a farmhouse in Golwadi Shivar on Sunday morning where bio-diesel was being sold illegally. Two men were filling bio-diesel in plastic cans from a container (MH14 AR 7196) with the help of electric motors. The team nabbed both of them and they told their names as Syed Nadim Syed Altaf and Salam. They told that the owner of the farmhouse is Avez Yaar Khan and the kingpin of the bio-diesel illegal business is Kalim Qureshi. They were working at this place for the past three weeks, they told the squad.
Articles worth Rs 57.30 lakh seized
The team seized a container (MH14 AR 7196) amounting Rs 25 lakh, 14,000 litres bio-diesel in it amounting Rs 11.20 lakh, a truck (MH26 H9650), 3 plastic tanks amounting Rs 4,000, 3 drums amounting Rs 1,000, an empty tank of 12,000 litres capacity amounting Rs 25,000, Dispenser unit with nozzle amounting Rs 30,000, outlet unit amounting Rs 30,000, all amounting Rs 57.30 lakh.
Bio-diesel sold for Rs 90 per litre
When the action was being executed, a truck driver Gufran Balik Pathan brought a truck (MH26 H 9650) of K.S.Transport for filling the bio-diesel here, the officers informed. The driver confessed that he was getting diesel for Rs 80 per litres and he used to fill the bio-diesel four times a month here. The officers have also seized 4 registers in which the accounts were maintained. It was mentioned that the bio-diesel was provided to K S Transport, Shriyash Bus, Centre India Transport, Musafir Bus and others.
Cases against 9 persons
Cases have been registered against nine persons in this connection with the Waluj MIDC police station. The accused included landowner Avez Yaar Khan, bio-diesel seller Kalim Qureshi, workers Syed Nadeem, Salam Mohammad, truck driver Gufran Pathan, persons, whose names were mentioned in the e-way bill and tax bills, bio-diesel sellers/traders present on the spot, owners and drivers of truck and container. PSI Sandeep Shinde is further investigating the case.