On Sunday, police in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, dismantled an oil theft gang and arrested four suspects. The operation was initiated following repeated complaints about oil shortages linked to Indian Oil tankers. Acting on a tip-off, the Panki police raided a location near Armapur canal where they discovered a tanker being siphoned. The police apprehended Sheikh Sain Akhtar, the ringleader, along with tanker driver Pushpendra Singh Chandel, Rohit Saini, and Ashish Srivastava. The police recovered an Indian Oil tanker containing approximately 15,000 litres of oil, 35 litres of stolen diesel, and ₹36,150 in cash. Investigations revealed that Akhtar would entice tanker drivers with higher payments to facilitate the theft, which was then sold to locals at discounted rates. DCP (West) SM Qasim Abidi noted that the gang had likely been active for a considerable time. Following the arrests, police are pursuing further leads to apprehend other accomplices involved in this illicit operation.