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The manager of a family-owned gas station in Houston, Texas, is accusing thieves of stealing hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel after seeing the crime happen on surveillance footage.
Jerry Thayil, whose family owns the Fuqua Express gas station in southwest Houston, said he noticed three consecutive days of a 350-gallon discrepancy, prompting him to comb through surveillance footage. In all, the alleged thieves stole over 1,000 gallons in diesel fuel, costing Thayil's family about $5,000, he told KHOU 11.
"The way they did it was very sneaky. They were doing it in front of so many people — so many different customers," Thayil told KHOU 11. He added that when he looked through the surveillance footage, he noticed a van and a black SUV that was playing lookout. The alleged thieves "had a trap door in their vehicle and they would put a hose down there and suck (the gas) out with the pump," he said. The alleged theft would happen "in a high traffic time" and would take about 15 to 20 minutes.
On Friday (March 11), Thayil saw the same van pull up again. He told KHOU 11 he tried to confront them. "I need to have them see me going after them and to scare them away ... In this kind of job, every penny counts. We can’t afford to lose a single more gallon," Thayil said.
Thayil reported the incident to Houston police hours before the alleged thieves returned for the fourth time. Thayil is asking for the public's help in finding those who might be involved.