The Mathura Highway Police has arrested three kingpins, and is looking for another dozen with VIP connections over a pipeline leak through which oil from the refinery here worth crores was being pilfered for over a year.

Police has already seized a Bolero car belonging to a sub inspector of police, several drilling equipments and tankers.

Mathura police said a pipeline going to Jalandhar from the Mathura oil refinery was found leaking pressure. On investigation the spot was identified and a valve in the pipeline spotted.

For more than a year oil was being pilfered through a 200 feet tunnel.

Mathura SSP Mohit Gupta and senior officials led a team to expose the racket and nab culprits. An Agra-based oil dealer owning several pumps is absconding.

The police team managed to arrest a gram pradhan and two of his associates who have named a dozen accomplices including local politicians.

Informed sources said oil pilfering has been going on for a long time and there have been at least six incidents in the past few years leading to arrests but the refinery management has failed to effectively plug the hole.

Local politicians have now demanded a CBI probe.