Ghost petrol pump scam: What raised OGRA's suspicions?

ISLAMABAD, July 7: Around 500 ghost petrol pumps have come under investigation after they suddenly became active following the government of Pakistan’s fuel subsidy announcement and allegedly claimed billions of rupees through fake sales, ARY News reported.

According to initial findings by OGRA, nearly 500 petrol pumps across Pakistan remained inactive or closed for most of the year. However, after the government announced the Price Differential Subsidy (PDS) during the US-Iran conflict, these pumps suddenly reported selling thousands of litres of petrol in March and April and submitted subsidy claims.

The government had introduced the subsidy to support oil marketing companies and petrol pumps due to changes in regional oil prices. But unusually high claims received by OGRA raised concerns.

Officials said many pumps that had almost no fuel sales for several months suddenly showed large volumes of petrol sales and then applied for subsidy payments.

During the investigation, OGRA asked the owners of these petrol pumps to provide 18 months of electricity bills to check whether the stations were operating regularly or became active only during the subsidy period.

However, many pump owners did not submit electricity bills. Instead, they claimed their petrol pumps were running completely on solar power.

OGRA said all claims are being checked carefully, and only verified claims will be approved. The regulator said no suspicious payment will be allowed as the government wants to protect public money and the national treasury.

Officials added that legal action will be taken against those found involved if any irregularities are proved.

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