The National Police have detained a man suspected of defrauding his employer of 12,000 euros through unauthorized refueling. The suspect, not authorized to refuel company vehicles, manipulated the system to siphon fuel benefits for his own vehicle up to 118 times.
At the close of 2023, executives from the Oriola farming community alerted the National Police Station about a pattern of incidents spanning the year. They explained that an agreement with a local service station allowed authorized employees to refuel company vehicles as part of their duties, without paying at the pump.
The arrangement meant that authorized staff could top up company vehicles and then report the fuel purchases at the service station where a recorded log tracked both the liters dispensed and the license plate of the vehicle being refueled. This process was designed to ensure accountability and proper billing at year end.
In December last year, company leaders reviewed the year’s refueling records and discovered that as many as 118 refuelings had occurred without proper authorization, totaling just under 12,000 euros. They did not know who was responsible for the fraud at that time.
Following the discovery, investigators from the Orihuela National Police Investigation Group began a thorough inquiry to uncover the perpetrator and assemble the necessary evidence.
Police obtained CCTV footage from the gas station which allowed them to pinpoint the author of the fraud. The suspect was an employee of the company, yet he held no authority to refuel any vehicle, a duty that falls outside his responsibilities.
As the investigation progressed, authorities noted that the vehicles seen in the gas station notes did not originate from the closest location that day and could not have been refueled there. The suspect reportedly visited the station in his private vehicle, refueling it for personal use. He then extended the fraud by carrying multiple plastic bottles in the trunk to store extra fuel, inflating the total loss to nearly 12,000 euros. After refueling, he returned to the station and provided the cashier with a various license plates associated with the company to avoid detection.
The National Police have identified the individual as a Moroccan national, aged 45, and have arrested him on charges of fraud. He has been placed at the disposal of the Orihuela Guard’s Deputy Court of Inquiry.