Cheater meter: The fuel dispensing machine at your petrol bunks could be rigged; here's how

The worrying trend of fuel meter tampering has surfaced again. A flash raid conducted by the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday, April 29 found seven petrol pumps in Lucknow city short-selling petrol with help of an electronic chip. The STF has arrested 23 people suspected to be linked with the racket. Following the arrests, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has ordered an inspection of all petrol pumps in Uttar Pradesh.

Fuel stations of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) have come under scrutiny. In the past, pilfering took place by altering the display of the meter, while the latest incidents show the fraudsters have taken a liking to hi-tech methods.

The latest modus operandi involves an electronically programmed chip retrofitted to the fuel-dispensing machine. The petrol bunk owners siphon off 50 ml of fuel off every litre dispensed. The chip is controlled using a remote gadget. So, if a motorist drives in to buy a litre of petrol, the machine will only dispense 950 ml of fuel. Each chip costs around Rs 3,000 in the market.

It is said that the maker of the chip, identified only as Ravinder, has reportedly sold around 1,000 chips to petrol pumps across Uttar Pradesh. It is estimated that such petrol stations could be making around Rs 14 lakh per month through fraudulent means.