CRACKDOWN ON SIPHONING RINGS

As the fight against siphoning and the illicit trade in siphoned fuel heightens with a view to curb the sale and distribution of adulterated fuel, the DCI raided a site off Kangundo Road yesterday and seized thousands of litres of siphoned fuel.

The crackdown by the Operations Support Unit also saw a trailer, two fuel tankers, generators fitted with hosepipes, funnels, 20l jerrycans and several tanks containing unestablished amounts of siphoned fuel confiscated.

Acting on a tip-off by a concerned member of the public on a notable spillage and the impunity with which the illegal business operated just next to a supermarket and an open-air market along KCC Road, the officers moved in to the compound that was concealed by a temporary iron sheet fence.

But the well-organized criminal syndicate involved in the illegal operations got wind of police presence through their informers and, locking the main entrance from within, secured enough time to hole up through a panya route thus evading arrest.

After preliminary investigations, detectives believe that the business operators are linked to the April 12, 2024 raid conducted behind Shell petrol station off Lunga Road in Nairobi where 41 suspects were rounded up and charged, but the five tankers found at the site later released through a court order.

The DCI thanks members of the public who continue to volunteer actionable information on this illegal business, as they contribute pragmatically to prevention of loss of lives through unfortunate cases of infernos such as the dreadful February 2 Embakasi gas explosion.

Further, the DCI invites all stakeholders including licensed distributors and government agencies to multi-agency undertakings in an effort to pool forces that will break the organized criminal rings.

#FichuakwaDCI. Call 0800 722 203 to report anonymously. Usiogope!