KUANTAN: Two men have been detained by the Pahang branch of the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry for allegedly misappropriating about RM59,000 worth of subsidised diesel.
State ministry director Datuk Mark Ujin said the men, aged 21 and 51, were detained while filling diesel into illegally modified compartments on a seven-tonne lorry at a petrol station in Indera Mahkota at about 9.30am Tuesday (Aug 2).
“Pumps used to transfer diesel into eight illegally constructed tanks, each able to store 1,000 litres, were found in the lorry. At the time (of detaining the men), seven tanks were found filled with 200 litres of diesel each.
“We believe the suspects did not fill the tanks to capacity at one particular station to avoid being detected, as it would take a long time to fill the tanks completely. They move from station to station to add on,” he told reporters at the ministry office here on Wednesday (Aug 3).
Mark Ujin said the diesel was meant for sale outside the state and that the men were believed to be members of a syndicate.
The modus operandi of such syndicates is to keep changing lorries or modes of transport to avoid being detected by enforcement authorities, he added.
The case would be investigated under Sections 21 and 20(1) of the Control of Supplies Act 1961. – Bernama