8 thieves puncture pipeline to steal 20 tonnes of crude oil in Rajasthan, arrested

A group of eight men, with a history of petty theft, was arrested for allegedly stealing 20 tonnes of crude oil from an HPCL pipeline in Rajasthan. The group used their jail connections and knowledge of local 20-km refinery network to map exact location. They punctured the pipeline and installed a valve to siphon off oil worth around ₹10 lakh.