In a special drive conducted to pull up the oil mafia, the city police have succeeded in seizing 20,853 litres of black oil and 2,214 litres of pure oil worth Rs 5.13 lakh.

Senior Police Inspector N P Wakude of Bharati Vidyapeeth police station said the black oil was used in construction activities. "The accused Vaibhav Maruti Bhosale, a resident of Taljai Vasahat, Vinayak Popat and one Mehmood are absconding. The godown where the illegal stock of oil was kept belonged to Bhosale," he said.

The city police have established four separate squads to investigate pilferage and stocking of oil and kerosene in the city and district.