Delhi: Oil thieves dig 150-ft tunnel which lead to a blast

The thieves had managed to dig on a piece of land that they had rented to set up a scrap dumping ground

AFP PHOTO/ REPRESENTATIONAL/ FILE

New Delhi: The Delhi Police discovered a 150-ft-long and 2.5-ft-wide tunnel that had been dug to steal oil from an underground pipeline of the Indian Oil Corporation Limited in Delhi's Dwarka. A person named Zubair was also arrested in relation to this incident. As per reports, Zubair is a scrap dealer from Daryaganj in Central Delhi and he along with his group was working on a plan to steal oil from this pipeline. ALSO READ: Padmaavat cleared for release in Pakistan They had managed to dig the tunnel over the course of three-four months on a piece of land that they had rented to set up a scrap dumping ground. As per reports, the low-intensity blast that occurred on Tuesday was due to oil pilferage that lead to excessive pressure resulting from a buildup of natural gas. As per reports, the thieves got the access to the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) pipeline but had not started stealing fuel. They had just drilled a hole in the pipeline with the help of a gas cutter. The tunnel was about 2.5 feet wide which is enough for a man to crawl. The line to which they got access runs from Bijwasan in Delhi to Panipat in Haryana.