Motorists in Dhaka are being shortchanged at filling stations through manipulated fuel dispensers, with a recent government inspection finding that customers received 530 millilitres less fuel for every 10 litres purchased.
The finding at a Sayedabad filling station has exposed a problem that repeated inspections and fines have failed to eliminate.
Consumers across the capital allege even greater losses, sometimes receiving as much as one litre less than the quantity shown on the pump.
Officials say some operators manipulate dispensing equipment so that the meter records more fuel than actually reaches the customer’s vehicle, making the shortage difficult to detect.
BSTI Executive Magistrate Md Mahbubul Islam told Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday that inspectors recently uncovered a 530ml shortage per 10 litres at Ms Pouro Filling Station in Sayedabad.
The station was fined Tk3 lakh.
“Our operations have revealed that fuel theft occurs at filling stations of all sizes across the capital,” he said, adding that customers often have little way of detecting the manipulation.
The problem is not confined to Sayedabad.
Consumers have reported suspected shortages at pumps in Badda, Rayer Bazar, Sat Rasta and other areas of Dhaka.
BSTI has previously taken enforcement action against several stations, including Mecca Filling Station in Badda and City Filling Station at Sat Rasta, imposing fines ranging from Tk50,000 to Tk3 lakh.
Yet complaints continue.
How the meters are manipulated
Officials from the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) said some fuel dispensers are fitted with electronic chips or remote-controlled circuits that interfere with measurements.
The display may show the correct quantity and price while the amount delivered is lower.
Officials also described instances in which attendants repeatedly engage and release the nozzle lever during refuelling, allegedly interrupting fuel delivery while the meter continues registering a sale.
Other suspected practices include manipulating dispensing speed and adulterating fuel with cheaper substances.
The authorities have not established that every filling station uses these methods, but officials say the techniques make fraud difficult for ordinary customers to identify.
Ashraful Islam, a City Bank employee who regularly refuels his car and motorcycle in Rayer Bazar, said he began suspecting irregularities after comparing fuel purchases with the distances his vehicles travelled.
He estimated that on some occasions he received nearly one litre less for every 10 litres purchased.
When he later tried to buy fuel in two five-litre containers to check the quantity, station employees refused, he alleged.
His calculations and allegations have not been independently verified.
Mizanur Rahman, a Badda resident, described similar suspicions, claiming that customers sometimes lose half a litre or more from a 10-litre purchase.
“Although authorities have previously conducted raids and imposed fines, the theft persists,” he said.
Night-time sales under scrutiny
Long-distance transport operators may face particularly large losses because buses frequently purchase 100 to 200 litres at a time.
Alamgir Mia, a driver of a Hanif air-conditioned bus, said drivers often refuel at night and have limited opportunities to challenge suspected shortages.
BSTI magistrate Mahbubul Islam said some operators exploit the absence of regular night-time enforcement.
A relatively small shortage per litre can add up to a substantial loss when a bus purchases a large volume of fuel.
At the shortage rate BSTI detected in Sayedabad, a customer buying 200 litres would receive 10.6 litres less than paid for, assuming the same rate of under-delivery throughout the transaction.
Why fines have failed
Bangladesh Petrol Pump Owners Association President Mohammad Nazmul Haque acknowledged that fuel theft remained a problem despite government inspections.
“We have informed the government about the fuel theft. The government has entrusted BSTI with the responsibility of oversight. While BSTI is conducting raids, they have failed to stop the theft,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
He said the association had offered to cooperate with regulators but had not been adequately involved.
According to Nazmul, a committee formed seven or eight years ago to tackle irregularities had produced little practical result.
He demanded stronger action to end the practice.
Energy expert Prof Dr M Shamsul Alam said occasional raids and financial penalties were insufficient to deter fraudulent operators.
He called for the cancellation of licences and criminal prosecution where deliberate fuel theft is established.
Alam also warned that adulterated fuel posed an additional risk to consumers and vehicles.
He urged the authorities to take sustained action against offending stations rather than rely on isolated enforcement drives.
For consumers, the difficulty is that the displayed reading often provides their only immediate assurance of how much fuel they have purchased.
Until regulators can reliably detect manipulation and prevent repeat offences, drivers may continue paying for fuel they never receive.