A man has been hit with a raft of charges after almost 30,000 litres of fuel, worth an estimated $74,000, was allegedly taken over 10 days with a fuel card stolen from a woman’s handbag.
Tas Petroleum general manager Nathan Thurlow told Pulse the fuel was pumped into 1,000-litre containers at his outlets in the state’s north.
He said about 3,000 litres was taken each day, with the containers taking just 20 minutes to fill.
Thurlow said the card belonged to one of his customers, who had kept it in her handbag alongside the PIN when the bag was allegedly stolen.
Tasmania Police told Pulse a 37-year-old Ravenswood man was arrested and charged on Friday evening over the “theft of a significant amount of fuel”.
Police have since recovered 4,600 litres of the allegedly stolen fuel.
“The man was charged with multiple offences including 60 counts of use a computer with intent to defraud, breach of bail, driving offences, being in possession of stolen property and minor drug offences,” police said.
Thurlow said the customer was waiting to find out whether her insurance would cover the loss.
He said it was not the first time his business had been targeted, with nearly $90,000 worth of fuel stolen in a previous incident.
The man was detained and was expected to appear in the Launceston Magistrates Court on Saturday.
