Man Arrested for Illegally Storing Over 4,000 Litres of Diesel in Dakshina Kannada
Police seize diesel worth ₹3.5 lakh during raid in Belthangady taluk after receiving a tip-off.
A 35-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly storing a large quantity of diesel without a valid licence in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, police said on Tuesday.
The incident took place in Mudalthiyar area of Kaniyooru village in Belthangady taluk. Acting on a tip-off, a police team carried out a raid at the location on the night of March 9.
The operation was conducted following information received by Rohini C K, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Belthangady. During the search, officers found a large stock of diesel stored inside a shed near the house of the accused.
Police identified the accused as Jagadeesh, a local resident. According to officials, around 20 barrels with a capacity of about 200 litres each and five cans of approximately 35 litres capacity were discovered filled with diesel.
In total, authorities seized nearly 4,175 litres of diesel from the premises, estimated to be worth around ₹3.5 lakh.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the fuel had been stored without any valid licence and without following mandatory safety regulations, posing potential safety hazards.
A case has been registered at Uppinangady Police Station, and further investigation is currently underway.
Officials also noted that the village where the incident occurred is located near the 280-kilometre Mangalore–Bangalore Petroleum Pipeline owned by Petronet India. The pipeline begins near the refinery of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited in Dakshina Kannada and extends to Devanagundi village near Bengaluru, passing through environmentally sensitive areas of the Western Ghats in Dakshina Kannada and Chikkamagaluru district.
