Domestic Trade Ministry thwarts suspected diesel embezzlement in Perak

IPOH: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry’s Perak branch has cracked down on subsidised diesel embezzlement activities following a raid on a premises at a sand mining area in Chenderiang on Tuesday (Feb 21).

Its director Datuk Kamalludin Ismail said checks found nine 1,800-litre drum barrels containing petrol suspected to be diesel valued at RM4,820, and a 40-year-old woman suspected to be the premises owner has given her statement.

“The raid was conducted after a week-long surveillance by Perak KPDN enforcement members on illegal siphoning of controlled goods, namely subsidised diesel, at petrol stations around Chenderiang, Tapah and Kampar,” he said in a statement today.

He said further investigations found the diesel in 200-litre drums were used as fuel to run the machines for sand mining activities in the areas involved.

He said it is believed that the subsidised diesel were purchased from nearby petrol stations using lorries before they were transferred into 200-litre drums for sale to sand mining operators.

The case would be investigated under the Control of Supplies Act 1961 and Control of Supplies Regulations 1974, he added. – Bernama