Ahmedabad Police have arrested three men for allegedly stealing aviation turbine fuel (ATF) from a tanker parked in an open field near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport, officials said on Monday.
According to an FIR registered by the Local Crime Branch (LCB), Zone-4, the incident occurred before 10 pm on December 15 in an open field opposite the Centre for Perishable and General Cargo Complex, located behind the airport’s cargo building and outside the airport premises. The accused have been identified as Sanjay Singh alias Dipusingh Rajput, Bhupasingh Tomar and Mandeep Singh Sidhu, all residents of Ahmedabad.
Police said the three men allegedly siphoned highly flammable Jet A-1 aviation fuel from the tanker without using any safety equipment, posing a serious risk to public safety. The tanker was carrying fuel meant for the SVPI Airport.
The theft was detected after LCB personnel received a tip-off while patrolling the Meghaninagar area. A police team reached the spot with panch witnesses and found two of the accused actively draining fuel from the tanker using a long transparent plastic pipe fitted with a nozzle, while plastic containers filled with fuel were kept nearby. The suspects were detained at the spot.
During the operation, police seized 39 plastic containers containing around 780 litres of aviation turbine fuel, valued at about Rs 60,000, along with tools used to open the tanker lids. A green closed-body loading vehicle worth Rs 1 lakh and two mobile phones were also recovered. The total value of the seized property is estimated at over Rs 11.7 lakh.
Officials from the airport fuel station confirmed that the recovered liquid was aviation turbine fuel. As the tanker seal had been tampered with, the remaining fuel was declared unusable. In line with Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) guidelines, the tanker was sent back to the Indian Oil Corporation depot at Bareja for safe unloading and inspection.
Police said a case has been registered at Meghaninagar Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for theft, criminal breach of trust and negligent handling of a dangerous substance. Further investigation is under way to determine whether others were involved and how long the illegal activity had been continuing.