A case of attempted diesel misappropriation was uncovered by officials of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) during a routine fuel tanker inspection at the Pandavapura depot in Karnataka’s Mandya district.
According to KSRTC officials, the detection was made on May 13, when a tanker arrived at the depot to deliver 20,000 litres of diesel from a terminal in Hassan.
According to KSRTC officials, the fuel decanting team at the Pandavapura depot, led by the depot manager, noticed an anomaly during the preliminary inspection of the tanker. “We observed a shortage of about 130 litres in the fourth compartment of the vehicle. A detailed inspection revealed a 15 mm external tube illegally inserted into the delivery pipe,” said a senior KSRTC official.
“This tube was set up in a way that allowed fuel to be diverted directly into the diesel tank of the tanker itself. It was a clear and calculated attempt to siphon diesel before delivery,” the official added.
Following this discovery, the depot manager immediately lodged a complaint with the Assistant Commissioner of the Legal Metrology Department (Weights and Measures) in Mandya. A joint team from the department visited the depot on May 14 and confirmed the illegal arrangement.
