Boat owner arrested in Mumbai for stealing equipment worth Rs 30 lakh from offshore platforms of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)

Mumbai: The Yellowgate Police have arrested a fishing boat owner from Raigad for allegedly stealing batteries, power cables and other equipment worth Rs 30.4 lakh from offshore platforms of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in the Arabian Sea.The accused, Chandrakant Dharmaji Patil (53), a resident of Pen in Raigad district and owner of the fishing boat Kaushalyacha Ram Shakti was arrested on Sunday. He was produced before the court on Monday and remanded to police custody. Patil is the second accused to be arrested. His name cropped up during the interrogation of arrested Santosh Krishna Patil (50), earlier arrested on March 11, currently in police custody. Police have booked them under relevant sections of theft and the Maharashtra Police Act.According to the police, the case was registered at Yellow Gate Police Station based on a complaint filed by Aditya Shankar, senior security officer with ONGC. The complaint stated that unknown persons had stolen battery banks, power cables and other equipment worth about Rs 48.4 lakh from unmanned ONGC platforms NLM-10 and NLM-13 located in the Arabian Sea.During interrogation, Chandrakant Patil allegedly confessed that he and his crew used their fishing boat to reach the offshore platforms. They would survey the platforms during the day and return at night to steal items such as batteries, solar panels, cables, scrap iron and fuel. Police said the stolen goods were later sold to scrap dealers identified as Anwar, Riyaz and Kalu alias Amin and they equally distributed the money.Police claim the gang had been carrying out such thefts for nearly two years, stealing 800 to 1,000 batteries and other materials from several platforms and earning Rs 3 to 4 lakh per trip.Seven other crew members have been named as wanted accused in the case. Police told court that custodial interrogation of the arrested accused is necessary to recover stolen property, trace the fishing boat used in the crime and apprehend the remaining suspects.