Say a spate of arrests can be expected in the coming few days

With the interrogation of two key accused yielding a veritable treasure trove of information regarding major players in the thriving diesel smuggling racket, the Special Branch has said that a spate of arrests can be expected in the coming few days.u00a0

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On their tail: Senior Inspector Rakesh Sharma of the Special Branch
pointing at one of the ships whose captain is allegedly to have been
involved in the smuggling of the diesel. Pic/Shadab Khan

The interrogation of Bada Noora and Nizam Abdul Kadir, who were arrested with 75,000 litres of stolen diesel last week, has given the Special Branch access to a large data bank containing names, contact numbers and addresses of agents and ship captains believed to be involved in Dawood's oil syndicate.

"Some ships have already been kept under surveillance and we will have to arrest some agents and tainted captains of foreign ships soon. International marine agencies will also be contacted to help nab the culprits," said Senior Inspector Rakesh Sharma of the Special Branch.

Sharma said that members of the mafia are also wanted in connection with the murder of radio officer Debashish Dey after a party at Bombay High earlier this year. He is believed to have been wrapped in a fishing net before being cast into the sea. The diesel smuggling business also fuels the hawala racket, which is controlled in Mumbai by Dawood's henchmen. Payments to some tainted foreign captains and other senior officers for their involvement in the smuggling were made in dollars, which has brought them under the scanner.
Most of the players in the stolen diesel business are believed to owe their allegiance to the D-gang. They operate from places like Dongri and Masjid Bunder. The police have also launched a manhunt to nab Bada Noora's key associates Akbar, Pandit and Chhota Noora. Some of the other key players in the dock areas are Rafiq, Aziz Battiwala, Munna Maldar, Santosh, Sadiq and Jalalbhai.

Cash rich
Diesel smugglers buy the fuel from the ship captains for as low as Rs 12 per litre and then sell it to dubious petrol pump owners for Rs 18. The business, which also involves naphtha and kerosene being mixed in the stolen diesel, is estimated to have an annual turnover of Rs 10,000 crore.

Senior officers said the racket has been able to thrive because it enjoys the support of tainted politicians and policemen. "What makes the business truly dangerous from a security viewpoint is that these hardened criminals could smuggle in huge quantities of arms and ammunition along with the diesel, as had happened a little before the 1993 serial blasts," said a senior officer.