Pune: Two Men Arrested For Fuel Scam At HP Petrol Pump; Accused Cheated Using Fake PhonePe Payment Transaction
Pune: Two Men Arrested For Fuel Scam At HP Petrol Pump; Accused Cheated Using Fake PhonePe Payment Transaction
Pune, November 26, 2025: In a swift and effective operation, the Faraskhana Police arrested two petty thieves who had been fleeing petrol pumps after pretending to pay via a fake PhonePe transaction. The duo was caught within 12 hours of their latest offence and are suspected of cheating other pumps.
The accused have been identified as Niranjan Jalindar Ghatole (23), a resident of Dattawadi, and Irfan Imam Shaikh (23), a resident of Dhankawadi. A complaint was filed by Sameer Yakub Qazi (35), a petrol pump employee at Panchratna Service Station, Maldhakka chowk, Mangalwar Peth, where the incident occurred around 2:30 am on November 23.
According to police, the accused arrived at the petrol pump in a Nissan car and asked for a full tank. After filling fuel worth ₹2,433, one of them requested a QR code for online payment. When Qazi generated and shared the code, the accused falsely claimed to have paid via PhonePe. However, when no payment alert was received, they started arguing and verbally abusing him.
Manager was called to the spot, after which the accused handed over a debit card. When Gurav attempted the transaction, the card showed insufficient funds. Before staff could intervene, the duo fled in their car without paying.
CCTV footage helped police identify the car and trace the suspects. Investigation officer Pranil Chaugule confirmed that both men have been arrested and the vehicle used in the crime has been seized.
Further investigation is ongoing.
