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A total of 973 liters of petrol was stolen from a tanker parked at the Koshi Provincial Office of the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) in Biratnagar.

After confirming the fuel theft from a tanker that had transported 20,000 liters of petrol from the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) depot in Siliguri, NOC imposed a penalty on the transporter equivalent to twice the value of the stolen fuel, in accordance with existing regulations.

According to NOC, the tanker bearing registration number Ko 1 Kha 6910, operated by Shree Naveen Dhuwani Sewa Pvt. Ltd., loaded petrol from Siliguri on June 20. The tanker arrived at a parking area in Kanchanbari, about 300 meters from the corporation’s Biratnagar office, at around 8:00 am on June 21.

The following morning, June 22, at around 9:00 am, the transporter informed NOC that the tanker had gone missing from the parking area.

Upon receiving the report, NOC immediately notified the Morang District Police Office in writing. CCTV footage reviewed by police and NOC officials showed the tanker leaving the parking area at 3:03 am and heading toward Novel Hospital.

During the search operation, the tanker was found abandoned on the Postal Highway at Bhokraha Rural Municipality 8 in Sunsari, about 17 kilometers from Biratnagar, according to office chief Pushkar Karki.

“When the tanker was recovered, its lock had been cut,” Karki said. “A formal report was prepared in the presence of officials from the Sunsari District Police Office, NOC employees, and the transporter. The tanker was then brought back to the depot, sealed, and secured.”

To determine the exact quantity of fuel stolen, officials from the Morang District Administration Office, Morang District Police Office, media representatives, NOC officials, and the transporter opened the tanker’s seal and conducted an inspection on Wednesday afternoon.

The inspection confirmed that 973 liters of petrol were missing from the expected 20,000 liters. The remaining 19,027 liters were unloaded into NOC storage facilities.

Under the Petroleum Products Transportation Regulations, 2016, NOC recovered twice the value of the stolen fuel from the transporter.

The corporation has initiated further action, holding the parties involved in transportation responsible for negligence that led to the theft.