8-men syndicate smuggles fuel thru’ S-W borders

Three oil deports in Khulna are virtually in the grip of the eight-member syndicate headed by two top leaders of Khulna Divisional Tank Lorry Workers' Union and Bangladesh Oil Distributors' Association, sources said.

Members of the syndicate are take delivery of diesel and kerosene illegally from these depots and smuggle those out of the country. Some officials of the oil depots are involved with the syndicate.

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Talking to this correspondent, a top leader of Khulna Divisional Tank Lorry Workers Union, who often goes to India on the plea of treatment, admitted that he is involved in smuggling of diesel and kerosene out of the country.

"A section of police and intelligence and energy ministry officials are also our beneficiaries", he said.

The sources said that most of the 74 filling stations within eight kilometres of borders in Jessore and Satkhira districts are in the grip of these two notorious fuel smugglers. These filling stations are helping smuggling of diesel, kerosene and octane.

Most of these oil depots get fuel supplies in excess of their demand, which is smuggled across the border by the syndicates through underhand deals, the sources said.

Even, a section of officials of an oil depot in Khalishpur are involved in supplying diesel and kerosene in large quantities to the smugglers, they said. Obviously, smugglers offer prices more than the government fixed ones and the extra quantities find their way through the border while users suffer in the country, the sources said.