Starting May 10, petrol pumps across Vidarbha will stop accepting digital payments, as the Vidarbha Petroleum Dealers Association (VPDA) announced a region-wide protest. Customers will be required to pay in cash for both petrol and diesel purchases.
The decision comes in response to the freezing of bank accounts belonging to several petrol pump owners, a move the association claims has left them financially stranded. The VPDA stated that the action by banks stems from cybercrime investigations, where fuel was allegedly purchased using money linked to online fraud.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Dr. Dipen Agrawal, President of the Chamber of Association of Maharashtra Industry and Trade (CAMIT), said that multiple pump owners in Nagpur were stunned to discover their accounts had been blocked without prior warning. Notifications were received via email, prompting several owners to approach their banks for clarification.
Bank officials reportedly informed them that the frozen accounts were connected to suspicious transactions involving fraudulent online payments. These transactions, they said, were routed through multiple channels before being used to purchase fuel.
The VPDA has launched this agitation to urge the Central and State Governments to intervene and resolve the issue. The association argues that dealers are being unfairly penalized for crimes they were unaware of and not involved in.
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