Telok Blangah heavy vehicle park hit by night-time criminals
Diesel thieves steal 100 LITRES in just one night
By Zaihan Mohamed Yusof
January 05, 2008
HE had heard stories of thieves carting off fuel in the night. And lorry driver Mohamed thought he was well-prepared.
Lorry driver Mohamed now secures a wooden railing to the underbelly of his lorry to make it hardwer for thieves to get to his fuel tank. Picture: ZAIHAN MOHAMED YUSOF
He had a lock installed on the fuel cap of his 13m-long lorry, but that did not stop thieves from taking 100litres of diesel from his vehicle.
He was shocked to discover that thieves had siphoned the diesel after he parked his lorry overnight at a heavy vehicle park in Telok Blangah.
The 37-year-old believed that more than one suspect was involved in the theft last month.
'It's impossible for one man to carry away so much diesel,' he said.
OTHERS HIT TOO
He was not the only victim.
Several other lorry owners who parked there have also complained of losing fuel in recent months.
When diesel prices hit the $1.40 mark last November, Mr Mohamed was worried that thieves would be tempted to steal his fuel.
So he installed a lock on his lorry's fuel cap.
For some months last year, he had been hearing accounts of diesel thefts at the heavy vehicle park.
One Chinese driver was reportedly targeted by thieves three times last year.
In Mr Mohamed's case, the thieves broke the lock and stole the diesel.
Now, he and other drivers are taking a more pro-active role to stop the thefts.
Mr Mohamed, who lives in Telok Blangah, said: 'I thought at first that the fuel indicator on my company lorry was faulty.
'I had filled the tank on 19 Dec. Strangely, two days later, the fuel gauge showed only a half tank. I thought, cannot be.'
Mr Mohamed, who did not want his full name revealed, said he inspected the tank for signs of a leak.
It was then that he discovered someone had tampered with the exposed fuel tank on the left side of the lorry.
Mr Mohamed, who has been working as a driver for four months, estimated that the diesel loss cost him at least $120.
ADDED SECURITY
Since the theft, Mr Mohamed routinely collapses a wooden railing on the left side of his lorry when he parks for the night.
The railing acts as a fence, which he then locks to the underbelly of his lorry with a thick cable.
The 'locking-up' process takes him about 10 minutes.
'The thieves can still steal the diesel if they want to. But it's not going to be easy,' he said.
'I also try my best to park close to another vehicle to make it impossible to lift the wooden railing. I learnt this from the other drivers.'
Mr Mohamed said most of the lots at the park would have been filled with about 50 vehicles by about 9pm.
The heavy vehicle park is a 10-minute walk from his flat.
At the end of the vehicle park is a path leading to factories, which is heavily used by foreign workers.
While most of the park seemed adequately lit, some areas remain covered in darkness.
Mr Mohamed's lorry was targeted when it was parked some 80m from the park entrance.
The driver, who works for an industrial piping company, gets his diesel from a fuel dump at his company's premises.
He did not report the theft to his employers, but made a police report.
he said: 'I'm new at my company. If I report the matter, my employer would not allow me to drive the lorry home.
'It would make it difficult to get to my Tuas factory every morning. Furthermore, my employer would deduct the loss from my bonus.'
THREE TIMES UNLUCKY
Another lorry driver, who gave his name only as Mr Lee, was not so lucky.
Mr Lee, 48, said thieves stole diesel from his lorry three times last year.
The lorry driver, who has been in this line for 12 years, said: 'I used to park near the entrance, where there are more people coming and going.
'But when there were no lots available, I had to park further in. That was when the diesel was stolen.'
He has made two police reports regarding the thefts, he said.
Each time, between 80 and 100 litres of diesel was stolen.
Mr Lee, who earns about $2,000 a month, said the heavy vehicle park is brighter now than before.
Like Mr Mohamed, he did not tell his boss about the diesel thefts.
'I'm afraid I will lose my job, so I just bear the loss myself,' Mr Lee said.
Both drivers suggested that the authorities install closed-circuit TV cameras and also asked for more police patrols in the area.
The police confirmed there had been recent cases of diesel thefts.
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...70340,00.html? 
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