Kakinada: Oil mafia busted at port

KAKINADA: The Kakinada Port has become a den for stealing oil through an oil pipeline link to mainline from ships, as they are siphoning off oil and supplying the same to a private company owned by a ruling Telugu Desam leader. Oil racket has built underground storage tanks and were drilling holes in pipelines linked to mainline to steal oil. According to sources, the Narayanam Chalamaiah and Sons Company has oil storage tanks at Light House near Vakalapudi and were company is importing palmolein oil from abroad. Oil mafia drilled a hole in the company’s main pipeline and has been diverting palmolein oil to another pipeline in a Atlas Marine Company’s warehouse in the Kakinada Port.

The NCS Company noticed that their oil imports are being drastically decreased and there is a vast difference of quantity between exporters invoice and also importer’s measurement. According to complaint, given by the company, Sarpavaram police cracked the major oil theft and found the den at the Kakinada Port warehouse.

According to police sources, the main accused is Bondu Narayana, who is an expert in oil theft through pipelines. Police sources said, eyes of Narayana were removed in a port in Nellore district previously, when he was stealing the oil from the pipelines for a few years back. Despite being a visually-challenged person, he continued stealing oil with the help of one Madiki Jakkayya.

Both the accused took a warehouse of Atlas Marine Company through Mallipudi Sivarama Prasad. “The mafia has stolen palmolein oil from main pipeline to slumps set up by the accused and sold it to Dhanalakshmi Oil representative G. Raja. The mafia has stolen nearly 20 tonnes of oil from main pipelines,” said SP Vishal Gunni said.

He said that as per primary information, the mafia was holding this racket for past two years. Mr Gunni said that strict action would be taken against those indulging oil theft regardless of their status in the society. “So far six persons were arrested in the case and there are more persons. We will not spare anyone involved in this incident,” Kakinada SP said.

He said that due to oil mafia, the reputation of port at stake. Police arrested six persons: Bondu Narayana of Uppada, Mallipudi Sivarama Prasad of Kakinada, Madiki Jakkayya of Godarigunta, Ramu Nagendra Kumar of Vakalapudi, Mummidi Srinivasa Rao (Lorry Driver) and A. Alisha of Atlas Marine Company.
Mr Gunni said that a lorry and 2 tonnes of oil were seized in this case.

Port officials cancel errant Atlas Marine’s lease contract:

In the aftermath of nabbing oil mafia at the Kakinada Port, port authorities have cancelled lease for the company which is handling warehouse. According to sources, Atlas Marine company has taken the port warehouse in the pretext of supplying marine tugs to several parties, relating to shipping trade. Earlier, the company has given all assistance to the National level naval event at Visakhapatnam and international level naval event at Chennai. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu appreciated for the company’s managing director A. Alisha for his logistic support.

According to sources, Mr Alisha gave his warehouse recently to oil mafia for one year. The company officials said that they don’t know the persons who took lease the warehouse set up slumps. Sources said that the port department cancelled the lease on the charge of giving it sub-lease without their permission.
SP Vishal Gunni said that Mr Alisha had given his warehouse to the oil mafia for lease and played an active role in the entire episode.

Meanwhile, oil theft from pipelines of various companies linked to Kakinada port is surfacing again in the Port Town. A decade ago, when late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was in power, East Godavari police cracked on oil mafia who were stealing the oil from pipelines by drilling holes. But, the present incident that built a slump in a warehouse and takes the palmolein oil from the pipelines at the Kakinada Port is a bigger one.