Metropolitan Crime Division on Tuesday raided 8 petrol pumps and arrested 16 persons including owner of the petrol pumps in the capital that were allegedly cheating customers by tampering with the fuel nozzle and meter. Owners of two pumps were arrested while others are at large. Police arrested Kalyan Khadka, proprietor of Crystal Petrol Pump, and Sitaram Timalsina, owner of Bangalamukhi petrol pump. Five technicians involved in the tampering were also arrested.

Chief of the Division, SSP Sarbendra Khanal told Setopati that the manipulations of the nozzles meant that the customers would get 4 litres less when buying 100 litres petrol, 40 litres less when buying 1000 litres and likewise. He said the owners were making at least Rs 50,000 on every 16,000 litres petrol sold. He further said that the nozzle and the meter could be easily tampered with using chips, remote and receiver and that it was impossible for customers to know they were being cheated.