Sambalpur, April 19 : In a major breakthrough Sambalpur police arrested seven members of an interstate gang stealing diesel from IOCL pipelines between Paradeep to Raipur and Paradeep to Ranchi. With this, police unearthed a big interstate gang involved in the racket and causing the loss of lakhs of rupees to the IOCL and national exchequer. Sambalpur Superintendent of police B Gangadhar on Tuesday said the police also arrested the receivers of stolen diesel. Earlier, one Sonu Jena was arrested for a similar offence and is now lodged in jail. These persons are involved in as many as 25 oil theft cases from IOCL pipelines in Dhenkanal, Angul, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh districts of Odisha using very developed technology from 2018 to date. Narrating the modus operandi of the gang, the SP said the gang used to sell the stolen diesel from the pipeline to contractors, pump owners and businessmen at half of the market price. He said the police seized oil tankers and other machinery used to pump out diesel from pipelines. Some more persons involved in the theft will be soon nabbed, the SP said. XC DP KK ARN