Mobile app nets in around 2000 vehicles topping up fuel more than once

A mobile app that came into operation on Friday has detected more than 2,300 vehicles obtaining fuel twice within 24 hours, police said.

A senior police officer said that the police IT department that developed the mobile app had made it available among fuel station owners to detect people who obtain fuel repeatedly within a day.

The officer said when a vehicle plate number is entered into the application it indicates whether the vehicle had obtained fuel previously within the day and if so from where.

The app has been made available to all 48 police zones and 1350 police stations.

Police Media Spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said the app would help them check whether fuel obtained multiple times was being used for the vehicle genuinely or being illegally collected to sell later at black market prices.

Meanwhile, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera stressed that the app should be developed further in a way that benefits the consumer.

The minister said the app should be further developed with a dashboard to include information regarding fuel availability and which fuel stations are to receive fuel.

(Source: The Sunday Times)