At times, tricky minds lead to massive problems. A mechanic who mastered the art of programming the integrated circuit was using his expertise in tampering the fuel dispensers. Nabbed by the Cyberabad Police, the mechanic was found to have installed IC chips in fuel dispensing machines that helped manipulate the amount of fuel dispensed and thereby cheat customers, in at least 11 fuel stations in Telangana and 22 in Andhra Pradesh. Along with the mechanic, Sk Subhabi Basha of Eluru, the police caught three others involved in the scam while seven others, including owners of some fuel stations, are absconding.
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The other arrested persons were identified as Sk Baji Baba (19), M Shankar (33) and Malleshwar Rao (24), all natives of Eluru in Andhra Pradesh. Addressing a press conference here, Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar said the gang had tampered with fuel dispensing machines in 33 fuel stations in TS and AP over the last one year.
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“Subhani works as a mechanic and learned how to tamper fuel dispensers using IC chips. The gang opened the fuel dispensers and embedded the chips in the machine. For every litre sold, the customer gets about three percent less,” Sajjanar said, adding that if any customer suspected the quantity and questioned the workers, they would be directed to a fuel dispenser which was not tampered with and asked to measure the fuel after collecting in a bottle. The police are making efforts to catch the seven absconding persons after busting the racket, which was investigated in coordination with the Legal Metrology department. The police have removed the chips and have informed their counterparts in AP about the scam.
