In a significant move against cooking gas black marketing, the Dwarka police in Delhi have dismantled an illicit LPG cylinder hoarding and distribution network in Chhawla. The crackdown, conducted by Dwarka’s Anti-Auto Theft Squad and Chhawla Police Station, was prompted by intelligence inputs on unauthorized LPG cylinder storage and sales from a residential location. The heightened surveillance was a response to potential disruptions in LPG supplies amid current geopolitical tensions.
The joint team received credible information about a house in Kashmiri Colony, Chhawla, being used for illegal LPG cylinder hoarding and black marketing. Acting promptly on this tip-off, a raid was carried out at the identified premises. The search revealed a substantial stockpile of LPG cylinders in the house, confirming the illicit activities being conducted there.
Ashok Kumar, a 52-year-old resident of Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, was apprehended during the raid. Initial investigations disclosed Kumar’s involvement in procuring LPG cylinders through unauthorized channels, storing them unlawfully, and selling them at inflated prices to local residents and small service providers to exploit potential supply shortages. A total of 65 LPG cylinders, including commercial and domestic units of Indane and Bharat brands, were seized during the operation.
Apart from the cylinders, the police confiscated equipment utilized in the illegal activities, such as a gas transfer machine for refilling cylinders and a weighing machine for measuring quantities during sales. A case has been filed against the accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Essential Commodities Act at the Chhawla Police Station. Further investigations are ongoing to trace the procurement source and identify other individuals involved in the racket.
