A car owner had a troubling experience after filling petrol in his Maruti Brezza at an HPCL petrol station in Sherriguda in Telangana’s Rangareddy district on Thursday night.
The next day, his car suddenly broke down. The motorist, Mahesh, called a mechanic to check the problem, who found that the petrol tank contained water mixed with fuel, which had caused serious damage to the car’s engine, according to a report by India Today.
Angry and upset, Mahesh confronted the staff at the petrol pump. A video of his confrontation soon went viral on social media, drawing widespread attention. In the video, the man can be seen taking petrol in a bottle. After filling the whole bottle, the water settled below while the petrol stayed up.
#Telangana : Water mixed in fuel at Sherriguda HP pump! Mahesh’s #brezza car broke down after filling petrol — mechanic confirmed water in fuel. Locals allege it’s the 5th such scam at the same pump. #PetrolScam pic.twitter.com/TPbXshhbv8— Hyderabad DNA (@HyderabadDna) September 12, 2025
Local residents came forward and claimed that this was not the first time such an incident had happened at this pump. According to them, at least four similar cases had been reported earlier.
The mechanic confirmed that the mixture of water and petrol had badly damaged Mahesh’s car engine. Residents accused the petrol station of repeatedly selling poor-quality fuel and ignoring earlier complaints.
Authorities have now been asked to investigate the matter. Locals want strict punishment if the outlet is found guilty of malpractice. They also urged regular checks at fuel stations to protect customers and prevent such cheating.
A Rangareddy civil supplies official responded, saying that in such cases clarification is first sought from the company. A technical report has already been requested from the HPCL sales officer. The officer explained that the petrol supplied was Ethanol-20, a mix of 20% ethanol and 80% petrol. He suggested that weather changes may have caused the separation of fuel and water, which was captured in the viral video, Deccan Chronicle reported.
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