A video of a car owner in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, allegedly claiming that his petrol pump bill was inflated has gone viral on social media, prompting even the district administration to order an immediate probe.
According to the car’s owner, Charan Singh, he took his new Volkswagen Virtus – which he said had a capacity of 45 liters of fuel – to a petrol station in Harsh Nagar where the fuel indicator showed an almost empty tank.
He claimed in a video that the petrol pump attendants initially pumped out about 41 liters of fuel, which made him wonder why the filling process had stopped. Those present allegedly told him that large amounts of fuel were filled in two batches and then they continued filling the tank.
To his shock, Singh was later handed a bill indicating a total quantity of 52 liters of petrol, something he says is not possible as his car’s tank capacity is 45 litres.
On questioning the pump staff, Singh said he immediately called the car manufacturer and asked a representative to come to the petrol pump.
A company official arrived and confirmed that the car’s tank cannot hold more than 45 litres, under any circumstances, Singh claimed in the video that went viral on social media and cited in reports. Singh has reportedly filed a formal complaint alleging systematic fraud operating in collusion with local weights and measures officials.
Fuel company official inspects
A fuel pump official later spoke to the media and said that the complaint regarding a 45-litre fuel tank that allegedly held more than 52 liters of fuel was being investigated in the presence of inspectors of the oil company, the vehicle manufacturer as well as other relevant departments. According to the official, the measurements taken during the inspection were found to be correct, and the verification was carried out in accordance with the established guidelines.
“A complaint was received that the vehicle’s fuel tank capacity was 45 litres, but around 52-54 liters of fuel had been filled in it. Following this complaint, inspectors from the oil company, weights and measures team and representatives of the original manufacturer were called in to conduct an investigation. I am also here with our officials,” the official at the petrol pump said.
“The matter is being examined and measurements are being taken, as you can see. So far, everything has turned out to be correct. We have the relevant guidelines with us. We will present those guidelines and conduct verification accordingly,” he said.
The official said in a press interview later that the fuel distribution unit was inspected in the presence of the Weights and Measures Department, oil company officials, and the service engineer of the vehicle manufacturer. According to him, the machine was opened using the one-time password approved by the original manufacturer, all seals were found intact, and the measurements taken during the inspection were accurate.
He added that the entire exercise was videotaped to maintain transparency. The official also noted that a vehicle’s declared fuel tank capacity often does not include an additional reserve volume, which can usually hold another 5-6 liters of fuel.
