Telgi: Slick?

New Delhi, March 10: The CBI today claimed it has found stamp scam mastermind Abdul Karim Telgi’s hand in a petrol and diesel adulteration racket.

In its third anti-corruption drive in as many months, the bureau raided 92 premises across the country and booked 71 government officials — Rs 1.92 crore was recovered from one accounts officer of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited posted in Patna.

But the prize catch was Telgi with the CBI booking him along with six others on charges of mixing naptha and other chemicals in diesel and petrol.

Companies and individuals associated with the Telgi network were raided today, including Progressive Petroleum, Gandhar Oil Refinery, Arihant Agripro International Limited, Indian Oil Tanking Ltd, Metro Exports, Sanjay Totla’s residence and Nirmal Singh.

Preliminary information suggests that largescale adulteration of oil was taking place at petrol pumps and retail outlets in connivance with the anti-adulteration cell of the petroleum ministry and oil companies, the CBI said. “We had collected intelligence to break the nexus of oil companies, anti-adulteration cell and petrol pumps and once that is done, it would be difficult for them to adulterate motor fuel,” CBI chief U.S. Misra said.

Sources said Telgi was procuring adulterants from Gandhar Oil Refinery and Arihant Agripro (India) Limited and was directly importing naptha, which is available at half the price abroad. The CBI suspects involvement of Naptha Control Order, since no company can import this chemical other than for a specified purpose. Telgi had shown his own company, Thane Polyorganic Limited, as an end user of naptha, sources said.

The CBI found documents linking Telgi with the adulteration racket after raids in Nashik in connection with the alleged involvement of Railway Protection Force personnel in the stamp paper scam, Misra said. Officials seized oil company papers containing Telgi’s name.

To ferry the adulterated fuel, Telgi was allegedly using tankers of Indian Oil Tanking Limited. Sanjay Totla, who owns the Jalgaon-based Progressive Petroleum, was reported to be helping him mix the naptha and other chemicals in oil. Totla was interrogated by the special investigating team probing the stamp scam in Mumbai for his links with Telgi.

The bureau is digging out names of retail outlets and petrol pumps selling the adulterated fuel. One such retail outlet has been found at Siphata, Mumbai, which is owned by Nirmal Singh, sources added.

Investigators are now trying to ascertain whether Telgi was acting as a front for others or was directly involved in the racket, the sources said.

The CBI suspects that several firms have been set up to show they are manufacturers of petroleum-based products but are actually diverting raw material like naptha, kerosene and benzene solvents for adulteration.

The bureau’s Chennai branch has registered an adulteration case against a laboratory assistant of Indian Oil Corporation, a deputy director of the anti-adulteration cell and an oil company.