Artificial petrol scarcity worsens in Bhakkar

Police foil bid to smuggle thousands of litres of fuel

BHAKKAR:

The city and its surrounding areas have been hit by a severe shortage of petroleum products, causing widespread problems for the people.

Despite high petrol prices, a mafia in Bhakkar has caused an artificial scarcity of the fuel, making it difficult for citizens to purchase it. The situation has caused long queues of vehicles and left the residents frustrated.

The district administration has taken notice of public complaints and taken action against the oil mafia responsible for the artificial shortage.

During the action, at least 12 filling stations have been fined and nine sealed for manipulating supply.

The authorities have formed monitoring teams to keep a check on hoarding and ensure that petrol is available to the public.

Meanwhile, Bhakkar police foiled an attempt to smuggle petrol at the Dajal interprovincial checkpoint. The police seized 5,500 liters of oil from Darya Khan tehsil.

The suspected smugglers were arrested and their vehicles impounded on charges of smuggling Iranian oil through Balochistan.

To prevent fuel smuggling, police have also been deployed on the river routes.

All boat traffic is thoroughly searched, especially during the night.

In another operation, the district police of Bhakkar arrested three suspected drug dealers. The suspects, Kasif, Iqbal, and Azam, were arrested from Kotla Jam within the jurisdiction of Saddar police station.

Police officials said the suspects had confessed to selling narcotics in schools, bus stops and neighbourhoods. Cases have been registered and 15 more suspects have been taken into custody, along with three proclaimed offenders. The police also apprehended a man who had been wanted for 26 years for serious crimes.

The Punjab government had fixed a head money for the wanted criminal, Ghulam Yasin of Rs400,000 and he had been declared a proclaimed offender by the district and sessions judge in 1995. He was wanted in several cases of murder and kidnapping.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2023.