Selangor authorities detain five men suspected of subsidised diesel fleet card fraud

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor branch of the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry detained five men suspected of diesel fraud using subsidised fleet cards yesterday.

The ministry’s state director, Mohd Zuhairi Mat Radey, said the suspects, aged 30 to 45, were arrested during a raid on an illegal storage site in Sri Muda, Section 25, here.

The operation, involving 25 ministry officers and the Selangor Police Contingent headquarters, took place at around 7pm following a month-long intelligence gathering.

"We seized a 30-ton tanker truck, four canvas trucks, two bonded trucks each carrying intermediate bulk containers (IBC), a van and a modified prime mover," he told reporters after the operation ended last night.

Mohd Zuhairi added that over 7,000 litres of diesel were recovered from 14 IBC tanks with 1,000-litre capacity each, along with equipment such as motorised pumps and connecting hoses believed to be used for illegal extraction and transfer of diesel.

He stated that the premises lacked a valid license to store subsidised diesel, while the detained bonded truck drivers also did not possess the necessary legal documentation to hold the controlled item.

"The modus operandi involved bonded truck drivers using fleet cards to buy subsidised diesel at petrol stations around Shah Alam," he explained.

The case is being investigated under the Control of Supplies Act, 1961, with a focus on identifying individuals, companies and distribution networks involved in the illegal diesel supply chain.