Around 6 PM on the 22nd, Beijing resident Ms. Qi was riding subway Line 1 alone to Wukesong to watch a ball game when a man in his 30s groped her. Several unfamiliar men in the carriage rushed forward and punched the man several times, and passengers applauded.

　　In the construction machinery industry, "fuel theft" also occurs frequently, such as stealing diesel, diluting diesel with water. "Fuel theft" costs construction machinery owners both money and trouble.

　　Diesel from construction vehicles is often stolen; boss personally catches the "oil rat"

　　GPS tracking systems installed on vehicles, fuel tanks locked with keys kept by dedicated personnel... all possible preventive measures were taken, yet diesel in the fuel tanks of construction vehicles was still stolen. Mr. Wu, owner of a waste soil transport company in Zhejiang, recently brought ID cards and driver's license copies of 6 employees to the Panqiao Police Station of Ouhai Public Security Sub-bureau to report that the company's drivers were stealing fuel.

　　The company owns 20 construction vehicles specifically for transporting waste soil, each with a dedicated driver. Last month, company owner Mr. Wu compared the fuel purchase amounts for October and November last year and found something amiss: total fuel purchase in October was about 290,000 yuan, while in November it rose to 350,000 yuan.

　　Mr. Wu said that the total mileage of the vehicles differed very little between the two months, so he suspected that some drivers were stealing diesel from the construction vehicle fuel tanks and selling it. However, all fuel tanks were locked, the keys were kept by dedicated personnel, and no damage to the tank locks was found afterward. How was the fuel stolen?

　　Each construction vehicle in the company was equipped with a GPS tracking system, and the routes for transporting waste soil were fixed. Mr. Wu checked the travel trajectories of all construction vehicles and found that 6 vehicles had stopped at a certain location on Hongxiang Road in Gaoxiang Industrial Zone in the city for 7 to 25 minutes. Upon further checking the fuel records of these vehicles, the fuel consumption per kilometer was significantly higher than the normal range.

　　Hu, from Anhui, joined the company as a driver in July last year. Hu said that last month, colleague Kang told him that all the drivers in the company were selling fuel outside and encouraged him to earn some extra money. Hu then became tempted. He saw a sign on the roadside advertising diesel purchase with a phone number, so he contacted the diesel buyer.

　　A quarter of the diesel in an excavator is water

　　In 2013, 49-year-old Mr. Liu, a native of Shaoyang County, Hunan Province, had been in Hainan for 21 years, mainly engaged in engineering blasting work. In August 2012, while working at a stone quarry in Yongfa Town, Chengmai County, Hunan Province, two men claiming to be staff from the Macun Oil Depot of a certain petroleum company came to sell diesel, and the two sides reached a verbal supply agreement.

　　Mr. Liu said that after using the diesel provided by Luo Mouhong, both the excavator and the truck experienced automatic shutdowns. One excavator shut down three or four times a day and could not operate normally at all. Eventually, the excavator's fuel system kept alarming. Maintenance personnel inspected and found that the diesel used had quality problems. Mr. Liu said that after the second delivery (8,220 liters) by Luo Mouhong was weighed, a person in charge at the quarry accidentally opened a valve in the middle of the tanker truck, and what flowed out was clear water, as much as 2,000 to 3,000 liters, accounting for at least a quarter.

　　At the end of September 2012, Mr. Liu went to the Macun Oil Depot to complain. A person in charge surnamed Wu said that Luo Mouhong and Xiao Mouhe were not their employees, and the delivery receipts and official seals were fake. Mr. Liu realized he had been cheated and subsequently reported to the Yongfa Police Station in Chengmai County.

　　Two mahjong friends live, eat, and steal fuel together

　　Lou, 58, from Zhenhai, Ningbo, unemployed. Usually, he liked to play small-stakes mahjong and became acquainted with fellow player Kong.

　　Kong, 51, from Lincheng, had previously been sentenced to prison for theft, was divorced and unemployed.

　　Due to new city development, Kong had a resettlement apartment in Taowan Community, Zhoushan, Zhejiang. In early 2013, Lou, who had been renting everywhere, moved into Kong's home, and their relationship grew closer.

　　Lou later confessed that in April and May 2013, the two began stealing diesel together. Lou had a small van used for scouting and storing fuel.

　　The two lived a lazy life, with only three activities: eating and sleeping, playing mahjong, and stealing diesel. They often slept until noon, got up to eat, then drove out to wander and secretly check which construction sites had large excavators. After dinner, they went out to play mahjong. They played until midnight, had a late-night snack, then drove to the construction sites they had scouted during the day to steal diesel. Early the next morning, they sold the diesel at a low price to two regular buyers of stolen goods.

　　Driving around at night, specifically looking for excavators to siphon fuel

　　In 2012, the Binhu District Court in Nanjing tried a theft case. Two defendants, Guo and Han, were each sentenced to one year in prison for stealing over 400 liters of diesel from others.

　　Guo and Han were fellow townsmen from northern Jiangsu, both with prior criminal records. One day in late July 2011, Han came to Guo's rented house and invited him to "make some money." Guo knew that Han had previously been involved in "fuel theft" and immediately understood his meaning, so he agreed without hesitation.

　　A few days later, the two jointly invested 3,900 yuan to buy a scrapped Santana car from a second-hand car market, and also purchased more than 10 plastic oil drums and plastic pipes, specifically for stealing gasoline. When committing the crime, the two usually chose around 1 or 2 AM. Guo would drive the car to large construction sites to look for excavators and bulldozers, and use the "siphon" method to pump diesel from the vehicles into oil drums.

　　Usually, the two succeeded. The stolen diesel was sold to specialized buyers at about 150 yuan. In just four months, Guo and Han stole 475 liters of diesel, worth about 3,500 yuan, until they were caught.

　　A professional gang that stole diesel from roadside construction vehicles could drain a 200-liter tank in two minutes. In 2009, they drove modified fuel-stealing vehicles and committed crimes rampantly in Zhengdong New District, Zhengzhou, Henan Province.

　　The "ringleader" Zhao confessed to the criminal facts: When I was working in Zhengzhou, I met Wang, who had been a truck driver. Regarding the fuel theft plan, the two hit it off immediately and posted information online about "recruiting drivers with a monthly salary of 10,000 yuan." Wei, who did business near Xinzheng Longhu, took the initiative to contact them. At the same time, Zhao also brought his brother-in-law in to "make money together."

　　In early July, the gang bought vehicles and assembled professional fuel-stealing cars, rented a farmhouse in Nancao Township to store the crime vehicles and sell the stolen goods. When they saw construction vehicles parked on the roadside at night, they would drive quietly over. The engine stayed running, the driver did not get out; one person pried open the fuel tank cap of the construction vehicle, another quickly inserted the hose into the tank, and a tank of fuel was drained in two minutes. If discovered, they immediately drove away.

　　According to the police, the gang could steal 1,000 to 1,200 liters of diesel each time. After returning to the selling point, they divided it into 200-liter drums and sold each drum for about 900 yuan. In two months of operation, the gang made more than 200,000 yuan.

　　Construction vehicle drivers get into the fuel resale business

　　In the first half of 2008, Xiong, from Anhui, drove a construction vehicle for a concrete company.

　　In his spare time, he heard that some people were siphoning fuel from vehicles and reselling it, so he began reselling fuel from his own vehicle.

　　Why did he dare to steal fuel? Xiong said that the company stipulated a fixed monthly fuel consumption for each vehicle. If the fuel consumption exceeded the fixed amount, there was a fine; if it was less, there was not only no reward, but the fuel consumption standard for that vehicle would be lowered the next month.

　　"So many construction vehicle drivers sell the fuel from their own vehicles," Xiong said. Xiong had stolen fuel many times, all smoothly.

　　Seeing that this method brought money, Xiong started his own fuel resale business in August 2008: he bought a second-hand van and went specifically to construction sites to collect fuel, buying from drivers at 110 yuan for 25 liters and selling to privately operated construction vehicles at 140 to 160 yuan.

　　Because it was cheaper than market fuel, Xiong could earn a considerable price difference.

　　From August 2008 to November 2009, Xiong conspired with company drivers to siphon 3,230 liters of diesel (valued at over 16,000 yuan).

　　Driver even adds water after siphoning fuel

　　Li, who worked at the same company as Xiong mentioned above, was also engaged in fuel theft and succeeded repeatedly, but Li seemed even more ruthless.

　　Around 8 PM on October 30, 2009, Li was near the Municipal Party School, once again siphoning and selling fuel.

　　The company's materials department manager happened to pass by and asked what was going on.

　　Li stammered, saying that a friend's car had run out of fuel and he was siphoning some to use. After that, Li stopped siphoning and drove the car back to the company.

　　Having been seen by a leader while siphoning fuel, Li was afraid the company would inspect his fuel tank, so he deliberately pulled out the water tank hose and added water to the fuel tank until it was full, then went off work and went home.

　　He later said that he knew adding water would definitely affect the engine, "but with my skills, driving slowly the next day should be no problem."

　　As a result, the next day the company decided not to let him drive the vehicle anymore. As soon as a new driver started the vehicle, it malfunctioned and the engine was ruined.