610 LPG Cylinders Recovered in Raid on Gas Distributor in Delhi

The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police on Monday uncovered an alleged illegal LPG cylinder hoarding racket and recovered 610 cylinders that were stored in violation of safety and government regulations. The action was carried out following specific information regarding the unlawful storage of LPG cylinders in the area. Acting on the tip-off, a police team conducted a raid at Guruji Indane Gas Service located at Plot No. 9 in the Mundka area of Delhi. During the inspection, officers discovered that commercial LPG cylinders belonging to multiple oil marketing companies were being stored together inside the warehouse. According to officials, cylinders from Indane, Bharat Gas and HP Gas were found stored at the premises. Preliminary investigation revealed that Guruji Indane Gas Service was authorised only to distribute Indane commercial LPG cylinders. However, cylinders belonging to other companies were also found inside the building, which violates the licensing conditions of LPG distributorship as well as the LPG (Supply and Distribution Regulation) Order. During the search operation, police recovered a total of 610 LPG cylinders, both filled and empty. These included 423 Indane cylinders, 92 Bharat Gas cylinders and 95 HP Gas cylinders. A police official stated that the seized cylinders included 197 filled commercial cylinders, 392 empty commercial cylinders and 21 small-sized empty cylinders. Further investigation also revealed discrepancies in the stock records. According to preliminary information obtained from officials of Indian Oil Corporation, the distributor’s stock of Indane commercial cylinders was expected to be nil as of March 10. However, 133 filled Indane commercial cylinders were found stored at the premises, indicating irregularities in stock management and unauthorised storage. Police suspect that such illegal hoarding may have been carried out to create an artificial shortage during periods of supply constraints. The cylinders could then allegedly be sold in the black market at higher prices. Following the seizure, a case has been registered at the Crime Branch police station under Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for criminal conspiracy. Police officials said that the owner of the warehouse was not present during the raid and is currently absconding.