Sri Lanka has jailed a man for three weeks after he admitted to hoarding four litres of petrol during a nationwide fuel shortage triggered by the Middle East war, local media reported Friday.
The 48-year-old man initially said the fuel was for his lawnmower.
A magistrate in Nikaweratiya, 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of the capital Colombo, also imposed a fine of 1,500 rupees ($5), according to the Lankadeepa daily newspaper.
It added that the man had been charged with hoarding petrol and trying to sell it on the black market at a time when authorities had imposed fuel rationing.
Motorists on the South Asian island are currently receiving fuel every other day.
Authorities say existing diesel stocks are sufficient until mid-May, while petrol supplies could last about a week longer.
Fuel prices across Sri Lanka have risen by a third since the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, triggering retaliatory attacks that disrupted global supplies.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake`s office said he had held talks with visiting Russian Deputy Energy Minister Roman Marshavin on securing oil supplies.
In a statement, Dissanayake`s office quoted the Russian minister as saying: “Russia is prepared to support Sri Lanka in facing any challenges arising from the Middle East conflict.”
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Man jailed in Sri Lanka for hoarding fuel amid shortage
