Maravi

Cops pounce on security officers in oil scam

Cops pounce on security officers in oil scam
By Staff Reporter
Wed 19 May 2010, 04:00 CAT

A COMBINED team of police and some private investigators on the Copperbelt has smashed a racket in which unscrupulous people have been stealing oils from oil marketing companies which they later resell on the black market.

Police have since arrested 18 people in connection with theft of oils and fuels.
Copperbelt Province police commanding officer Antoneil Mutentwa confirmed the operation that started on Saturday night.

“Yes, I am aware of that, some security officers are involved. There were some people who came to us and told us that some people were selling to them drums of lubricants at half the price of the commodity and this raised suspicion,” Mutentwa said.

“We followed it up and we caught them in the act - stealing lubricants (at BP storage deport in Kitwe which is managed by Dana Holdings Limited).”

Mutentwa said during the operation on Saturday night, eight people were nabbed and police recovered 14 - 210-litre drums of Castrol oil.

“We nabbed eight people. Five were security guards from Magnum Security,” said Mutentwa.

“Today (yesterday) we have recovered 19 drums along Ndola - Kapiri Mposhi road.”
Mutentwa described the operation as a big one as it was spreading out.

Dana Holdings Limited chairman and chief executive David Nama yesterday said following persistent break-ins and theft of oils, he decided to bring in private investigators who combined with Kitwe police officers.

Nama said during the operation on Saturday night, the officers found a car without a number plate packed at BP depot in Kitwe and they pulled to check what was going on.

“They interrogated the driver and asked him to open the boot and they found 19 five-litre containers of Castro Oil. They harassed him and he revealed that he was just booked and the owners were inside loading lubricants,” Nama explained.

“They pressed the security guard who led them somewhere else instead of where these people were loading the lubricants until they decided to check the other area. They found them loading lubricants in a canter truck. They had loaded 12 drums. That was the second trip. In the first trip around mid-night, they loaded 19 drums. So when they saw the police, these thieves tried to run away but they were all apprehended.”

Nama said those arrested then led police to where they sold the lubricants.

“We found three drums at a home in Buchi in Kitwe and we went to a place along Masangano - Luanshya Road where we found more than 300 - 210-litre drums of oils from BP, Total, Spectra, Shell in two warehouses in the bush,” he said.

“We also found 70 drums of paraffin and a fuel tanker. What they do is take the lubricants and mix with paraffin and sell to people. This is economic crime and police should have been aware of this. This is a typical mafia business. We even found seals.”

Nama advised people to buy lubricants from authorised dealers or they risked having their vehicles damaged. Dana Holdings is the sole distributor of BP lubricants in the country.

Labels: ANTONEIL MUTENTWA, FRAUD

posted by MrK @ 4:56 AM