Chirang police bust ethanol theft racket, five arrested, two tankers seized

Chirang Police have busted an organised ethanol theft racket operating along the supply route to the Bongaigaon Refinery, arresting five persons and seizing two tankers in the district.

According to police, the racket involved siphoning off ethanol being transported by tankers from outside the state to the Bongaigaon Refinery, which operates under Indian Oil Corporation Limited at Dhaligaon in Chirang district. After stealing a portion of the ethanol, the accused allegedly mixed water into the tankers before delivering them to the refinery.

Chirang Superintendent of Police Dhruva Bora said the police acted on specific intelligence inputs and conducted a targeted operation, during which two tankers bearing registration numbers NL-01AJ-5079 and NL-01AF-2066 were intercepted and seized. Five individuals involved in the racket were arrested during the operation.

The arrested persons have been identified as Bishnu Mani Das (30) of Satipur village, Mihir Deb (45) of Tripura, Ringkhang Narzary (37) of Gosainigaon in Udalguri district, Mobarak Ali (35) of Barpathar village, and Azimuddin Ali (42) of Baikhunggaon.

Police said a case has been registered at Kajalgaon police station under Case No. 14/2026, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the full extent of the racket and identify other possible links in the supply chain.

Officials indicated that more arrests could follow as the probe progresses, adding that strict action will be taken against those involved in tampering with critical industrial supplies.