ONGC Platforms Looted: Fishing Boat Owner Arrested

Yellowgate Police in Mumbai have arrested a 53-year-old fishing boat owner from Raigad in connection with the theft of equipment valued at Rs 30.4 lakh from ONGC platforms. Chandrakant Dharmaji Patil, owner of the Kaushalyacha Ram Shakti fishing boat, was apprehended on Sunday and subsequently remanded to police custody. This marks the second arrest in the case, following the apprehension of Santosh Krishna Patil earlier this month.

The investigation began after ONGC's senior security officer filed a complaint detailing the theft of battery banks, power cables, and other equipment from unmanned platforms NLM-10 and NLM-13 in the Arabian Sea. These items were valued at approximately Rs 48.4 lakh.

During interrogation, Patil allegedly admitted that he and his crew utilized their fishing boat to access the offshore platforms. They would conduct daytime surveys before returning at night to steal materials such as batteries, solar panels, cables, scrap iron, and fuel. The stolen goods were reportedly sold to scrap dealers, with the profits divided among the conspirators.

Authorities claim the gang had been engaged in these thefts for approximately two years, illicitly acquiring 800 to 1,000 batteries and other materials from multiple platforms. Each successful trip allegedly generated between Rs 3 to 4 lakh in revenue. Seven other crew members have been identified as wanted suspects in the ongoing investigation.