Latest news with #PetrolDealers'Association
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Account freeze: Petrol pump owners may join May 10 stir in Maharashtra
Mumbai: Petrol pump owners are threatening a protest across the state to oppose the freezing of accounts of a few pump owners in cybercrime-related cases, announced Uday Lodh from the Federation of Maharashtra Petrol Dealer Association. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He said that pumps in various districts, including those in Mumbai, will participate in the stir, and if this happens, it could affect motorists. The protest in Mumbai could be just for a day on May 10, said a senior member of the Petrol Dealers' Association. Commenting on the issue, Lodh told TOI: "The money trail in cybercrime was mapped to a few petrol pumps, and their accounts were frozen. This has enraged pump owners, whose digital payments were stopped, and in a few cases in Vidarbha, the accounts were frozen. The petrol pump owners plan to protest in Vidarbha, but soon this protest at pumps could spread across Maharashtra and also in Mumbai if the govt does not intervene in the interest of the pump owner." Lodh further said: "Money by digital payment is for the product sold at our pumps. We are not concerned about who pays and their background and cannot be labelled as 'beneficiaries' in any criminal case. We cannot be punished, and our accounts cannot be frozen for no fault of any pump owner in any cybercrime," he said. He added that a delegation of pump owners plans to meet senior govt officials and police in this connection, besides politicians. "We do not have any mechanism to trace the fraud payment. And therefore, we cannot be held guilty or responsible," he said. Petrol Dealers Association (Mumbai) President Chetan Modi said that it is not just a protest in Mumbai for a day against the freezing of accounts of a few pump owners in other districts but also against bank policies which involve several deductions of charges by digital payment providers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "There are so many charges levied on transactions, and the final amount credited to the account of the pump owner is less than what is expected," he pointed out. A section of pump owners in Nagpur has decided not to accept digital payments (UPI, credit cards, etc) from May 10, as the frauds are detected only in digital base payments, and these pumps will dispense fuel only for cash payments, a source from the federation said, citing rising cyber frauds and blocked bank accounts as the key reasons. Sources said that at least two accounts were frozen due to "fraudulent transactions conducted via stolen digital payment methods". The sources said the frauds were committed by scammers using stolen or cloned UPI IDs and debit/credit cards, and the petrol pump owners were found as "beneficiaries" in the fraud, and the latter have claimed they are innocent. They now face financial losses as their accounts are frozen by authorities investigating such frauds. More than 50%-55% of transactions at pumps are cashless and pump owners do not keep any records of persons making digital payments after refuelling their car or bike tanks, Lodh said.
Time of India
04-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Petrol dealers in Nashik on alert over digital payments
Nashik: Petrol dealers in Nashik are on alert over digital payments following actions against a few who received such payments from unscrupulous elements. The Petrol Dealers' Association in Nashik has cautioned its members against such transactions in the sale of fuel, especially in light of the Nagpur Association's decision to stop accepting digital payments. Vijay Thakre, the president of the Nashik association, said, "We received several complaints from dealers that the amounts were blocked after transactions were made digitally by some unscrupulous elements. The unscrupulous people had allegedly cheated others, and used part of the money for transactions here." The particular amount in the account was frozen by the authorities for several days. "Since the amount was small, we did not consider taking any major steps. But what happened in Nagpur is significant and spells trouble for dealers as their money gets blocked. We have, therefore, asked the dealers to cautiously receive digital payments," added Thakre. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo By this, he meant the ticket size should be kept small, and larger transactions should be carried out with caution. The petrol dealers' association has stated that if the number of such cases and the amounts involved grow, the association would be forced to follow Nagpur's footsteps and stop receiving digital payments. "Our concern is that UPI payments have now become a lifestyle accepted by everyone. Petrol pumps are places where most people use UPI. The footfall at petrol pumps is huge. In such cases, if there is a rise in instances and larger sums are involved, our dealers will be in trouble. We will then take appropriate steps," said Thakre. Sanjay Ahire, another petroleum dealer, questioned what action govt would take in cases where a person who committed a crime withdraws funds from an ATM and spends the same cash on fuel. "Will govt take cash from us? This is something that govt needs to think about," he said. Nashik: Petrol dealers in Nashik are on alert over digital payments following actions against a few who received such payments from unscrupulous elements. The Petrol Dealers' Association in Nashik has cautioned its members against such transactions in the sale of fuel, especially in light of the Nagpur Association's decision to stop accepting digital payments. Vijay Thakre, the president of the Nashik association, said, "We received several complaints from dealers that the amounts were blocked after transactions were made digitally by some unscrupulous elements. The unscrupulous people had allegedly cheated others, and used part of the money for transactions here." The particular amount in the account was frozen by the authorities for several days. "Since the amount was small, we did not consider taking any major steps. But what happened in Nagpur is significant and spells trouble for dealers as their money gets blocked. We have, therefore, asked the dealers to cautiously receive digital payments," added Thakre. By this, he meant the ticket size should be kept small, and larger transactions should be carried out with caution. The petrol dealers' association has stated that if the number of such cases and the amounts involved grow, the association would be forced to follow Nagpur's footsteps and stop receiving digital payments. "Our concern is that UPI payments have now become a lifestyle accepted by everyone. Petrol pumps are places where most people use UPI. The footfall at petrol pumps is huge. In such cases, if there is a rise in instances and larger sums are involved, our dealers will be in trouble. We will then take appropriate steps," said Thakre. Sanjay Ahire, another petroleum dealer, questioned what action govt would take in cases where a person who committed a crime withdraws funds from an ATM and spends the same cash on fuel. "Will govt take cash from us? This is something that govt needs to think about," he said.
