The Assam Police seized around 8,000 liters of condensate oil from the Dibrugarh district and apprehended four people on charges of theft.
Condensate oil is a mixture of light liquid hydrocarbons, similar to very light crude oil.
The police have seized a tanker with 8,000 liters of stolen condensate oil near the Bogibeel bridge over the Brahmaputra river.
According to police reports, the offenders stole the condensate oil from the transportation pipeline of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) or Oil India Limited (OIL).
“Four people involved in the racket were arrested. The tanker was on its way from Naharani in Sivasagar district to Dhemaji when the police intercepted it on Tuesday,” he added.
Due to the rise in oil theft and pilferage, OIL started drone surveillance in October 2021 for its installations and oil and gas pipelines in Assam.
Once separated from natural gas, condensate oil is treated like crude oil. It can be blended with other heavier crude streams or sent to market directly by pipeline or tanker.