Interior Ministry: 41 suspects arrested, diesel theft and resale network dismantled

The Ministry of Interior announced on Friday the arrest of 41 suspects and the seizure of 38 vehicles following the dismantling of a network involved in stealing diesel from vehicles belonging to government entities and private companies, collecting it, and reselling it to projects within the country.

In a press statement, the Ministry said that investigations and follow-up by the General Directorate of Criminal Investigations revealed that several drivers had appropriated quantities of diesel from vehicles assigned to them in the course of their duties, without the knowledge of their employers, and transported them to a site in the Umghara area for sale and collection into dedicated tankers.

The investigations further showed that a Kuwaiti national provided the tankers used to extract and collect the diesel in exchange for a monthly payment of 1,600 Kuwaiti dinars under a “contracting system,” fully aware that they were being used for illegal activities.

After completing investigative procedures and monitoring the site, the main suspects were apprehended in flagrante delicto while extracting diesel from one of the vehicles. Two other suspects were also arrested while purchasing the collected quantities.

The stolen diesel was sold at a rate of 90 dinars per thousand liters, then collected in tankers and resold to other suspects at 115 dinars per thousand liter, before being sold to projects within the country at 130 dinars per thousand liters, plus transportation and delivery commissions.

The Ministry noted that upon confrontation, each suspect admitted his role in the incident, confirming that the necessary legal procedures had been taken against them and that they had been referred to the competent authorities.