The Navi Mumbai police stated on Tuesday that a FIR had been filed against representatives of three Mumbai-based enterprises for suspected illegal import and transportation of hazardous petroleum products worth more than Rs 1.4 crore, according to news agency PTI.
According to Uran’s assistant police inspector Shivaji Hulge, the Customs officials raided an import company’s facilities on July 12 based on a tip-off.
The authorities discovered eight tankers carrying a petroleum liquid. According to PTI, three Mumbai-based firms handling the item illegally classified the liquid as “process oil 40”, a non-flammable fluid typically used for manufacturing reasons.
Subsequent testing revealed that the liquid was a highly flammable “petroleum hydrocarbon oil,” necessitating special permissions and rigorous transportation measures, according to the official, as reported by PTI.
Despite being aware of the substance’s harmful nature, the Mumbai-based corporations reportedly carried it without the necessary permissions, risking public safety, he said.
According to PTI, the Uran police issued a FIR on Sunday against representatives of the three firms situated in Santacruz, Mumbai, under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including careless conduct relating machinery and conspiracy.
They have also been charged under terms of the Essential Commodities Act, Petroleum Act, Explosives Act, as well as breaches of the High-Speed Diesel Oil and Light Diesel Oil (Restriction on Use) Order 1974 and the Motor Spirit and High-Speed Diesel (Regulation of Supply, Distribution, and Prevention of Malpractices) Order 2005, the police said.