Pump owner alleges the 'wronged' customer ran away with Rs 10 lakh security money; police are suspicious too
Pump owner alleges the 'wronged' customer ran away with Rs 10 lakh security money; police are suspicious too
A new car for a fuel tank!
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FURIOUS: Customers protesting at the petrol pump at Lodhi Colony on Sundayu00a0
Pics/Imitiyaz khan |
It may sound unreal but this was the compensation an angry customer demanded from a petrol pump owner. On Sunday morning, Manoranjan Singh, 43, a Defence Colony resident, alleged that the pump at Lodhi Colony had filled his Honda City car's tank with petrol adulterated with water and had damaged his vehicle.
A few other customers, who too alleged their vehicles had started malfunctioning after filling petrol from the pump, joined Singh's angry protests. Soon, the pump owner offered a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to Singh as security for his damaged car till the vehicle was thoroughly inspected and repaired. Singh wanted a new car, instead. But once he received the cheque, he allegedly ran away both with it and his car.
"At around 9 am I bought petrol worth Rs 1,500 from the pump. As soon as I left the station, my car broke down. I called a mechanic to fix it. He told me that my Honda City car (DL-23Q-1095) had been filled with water instead of petrol," said Singh.
Singh took a sample of the adulterated petrol to the pump to clear the issue. "At the pump, I found other customers too were complaining.u00a0 We protested against the pump, following which senior officials of the outlet and the police came to the spot.
The officials took the sample from me, assuring an enquiry," Singh said. The owner of the pump, Colonel (Retd) H S Klar, rubbished Singh's allegations. "If the level of petrol in a tank drops beyond a limit or the tank becomes empty, moisture can build up inside it. In such situations, traces of water may be found in the fuel," said Klar.
He also alleged that Singh had exaggerated the issue to make a quick buck.u00a0 "Singh and his brother insisted we buy him a new car.u00a0 We assured Singh that his car would be inspected and repaired by us. He was also given a cheque of Rs 10 lakh as security money. But he ran away with his car and the cheque," said Klar.
Klar added that the petrol tanks of the other "affected" cars were immediately cleaned and the situation returned to normal.u00a0 "I have lodged a police complaint," said Klar.u00a0
The police too seemed suspicious of Singh's motives. "We have sent the petrol sample from Singh'' Honda City car for testing. The petrol tank of the car would have been fixed for just a few thousand rupees but Singh demanded a new car. That was unfair," said a senior police official from the Lodhi Colony police station, wishing anonymity.
