'Men stole NIS 1m. of gas from IDF, resold it for half'

Police: Suspects filled up gas at army's expense, then sold gas at half price, between NIS 2 and NIS 4 a liter, to cab drivers, pirate gas stations.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
closed gas station 298 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
closed gas station 298
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Six suspects from the South were arrested on Monday on suspicion of stealing over NIS 1 million of gasoline from the IDF and reselling it at half price.
The arrests, which were accompanied by searches and the seizure of drugs and allegedly stolen laptop computers, followed an undercover investigation by the Police’s Economic Crimes Unit, the Lahav 433 Unit and Military Police.
According to suspicions, the suspects stole computerized fueling devices installed on IDF vehicles’ fuel entry points, and used them to fill up with more than NIS 1m. of gasoline at the army’s expense.
“They then sold the gas at half price, at between NIS 2 and NIS 4 a liter, to cab drivers and pirate gas stations,” police said.
The investigation began earlier this year after police received word of fuel being stolen at a Beersheba gas station using the Pazomat device.
Police and Military Police set up a joint investigation team, which began mapping out a number of stolen Pazomat devices.
The Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court extended the suspects’ custody by a week on Monday.