Dibrugarh: A fire broke out in a gas pipeline of Oil India Ltd (OIL) from a leak caused during pilfering in Dibrugarh district of Assam today.

The fire was extinguished by switching off the gas valve immediately and there was no injury, OIL sources said.

The fire broke out in a connecting gas pipeline of oil well number 367 at Nagajan in Duliajan at around 5.45 pm.

Crude oil thieves might have drilled a hole in the gas pipeline mistaking it to be a crude oil pipeline and caused a gas leak, the sources said.

The leaking gas could have caught fire from a cigarette left behind by the criminals, they added.

Crude oil theft by well organised gangs using precision machinery for making holes in pipelines to take out the precious liquid in isolated areas is a major problem with the oil major, the sources said.
Source : PTI