According to a complaint lodged by the petrol pump owner, the outlet on Hosur Road has been operating under a valid licence since 2020.
| Photo Credit: Image for prepresentational purpose
The Parappana Agrahara police have registered an FIR against unknown people for installing electronic chips in fuel dispensing machines at a petrol pump, resulting in alleged cheating of customers, the dealership, and the oil company.
According to a complaint lodged by the petrol pump owner, the outlet on Hosur Road has been operating under a valid licence since 2020. He stated that the fuel station follows the oil company’s mandatory daily five-litre fuel testing procedure for all dispensing units and that no discrepancies had ever been detected. Officials from the oil company and the Department of Legal Metrology had also conducted periodic inspections and had not previously reported any irregularities.
However, during the annual inspection conducted on July 24, a pump mechanic from the oil company reportedly suspected that an electronic chip had been installed inside one of the dispensing units.
The following day, the owner allegedly found that the display board of one of the fuel dispensers had been removed by unknown persons. When HPCL officials inspected the outlet on July 28, they allegedly informed him that electronic chips were present in the pumps. On July 29, the company removed the display boards and other components from all dispensing units for detailed examination.
In his complaint, the pump owner alleged that unknown employees, in collusion with a skilled pump mechanic and without his knowledge, may have installed electronic chips in the dispensers to supply customers with less fuel than indicated, thereby misappropriating the excess amount collected. He claimed the alleged acts amounted to cheating not only customers but also the petrol pump dealership and the oil company.
The Parappana Agrahara police have registered a case and launched an investigation to identify those responsible for the alleged installation of electronic chips and the suspected fuel dispensing fraud.
The police are now on the manhnut for the mechanic who inastallled the chip at the dispending unit.
Published – August 03, 2026 09:13 pm IST
