Dibrugarh: Police busted an illegal condensate theft racket in Tinsukia district in a pre-dawn raid on Monday.A joint team from the Gelaphukuri outpost and the Barekuri police station raided the site after receiving inputs about the unauthorised tapping of an Oil India Limited pipeline. Police said one accused was caught at the spot, while several others fled. A case has been registered, and a search is on for the absconding accused.“We were receiving inputs about illegal tapping activities in this area over the past few days. Our teams moved in and caught them running the operation. One person was arrested, and we are working to identify and arrest the others involved,” Tinsukia additional SP Mrinmoy Das said.Police seized around 1,450 litres of condensate, including 25 filled 50-litre plastic gallons and a drum containing nearly 200 litres. Ten empty gallons, a hose pipe connected to the tapped pipeline, and a handmade filtering unit were also recovered.Police said the equipment indicated an organised operation involving regular extraction and stockpiling of condensate.Investigators are now tracing the supply chain, including possible links to local buyers and transporters.
