LPG pilferage racket busted in Sambhajinagar, two tanker capsules & Rs 20L worth of LPG seized

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A state-level flying squad and district officials raided an open plot near Hotel Saiyash on Vaijapur Road in Gangapur taluka around 9.45pm on Thursday, busting an alleged LPG pilferage racket and seizing gas sufficient for 2,480 households, along with two tankers capsules and equipment, totally worth Rs 1.26 crore.Two tanker drivers were caught at the spot, while four people were booked, of whom two were subsequently arrested. Commissioner of police Pravin Patil said, "The racket is suspected to have been diverting LPG meant for industrial supply into the black market for profit," he said. Officials said the operation was carried out following a tip-off received by controller of rationing and director of civil supplies Chandrakant Dange. Sources said departmental teams had been closely tailing the two LPG tankers since they began their journey from Trombay in Mumbai. Based on the intelligence, the squad maintained surveillance and zeroed in on the location where the illegal activity was underway.They said upon reaching the site under cover of darkness, the team found LPG being siphoned directly from the tankers into commercial cylinders using rubber pipes fitted with four-way valves. "The operation was being carried out in an open and highly hazardous manner, posing a serious threat to life and property. The team immediately conducted the raid and detained the tanker drivers on the spot," an official said.The seizure included two LPG tankers valued at over Rs 1.05 crore, nearly 35,220kg of LPG worth more than Rs 20 lakh, 17 filled commercial cylinders, six empty cylinders and a few domestic and small cylinders. Equipment used for the illegal transfer, including specialised rubber pipes and valve systems, was also seized.An FIR has been registered at the MIDC Waluj police station against tanker drivers Shrikrishna Dahiphale and Miraj Mohammed Jaish Khan, businessman Mahesh Thorat, and tanker owner Shreehar Chhedi under provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and the LPG (Regulation of Supply and Distribution) Order, 2000. Further investigation is being carried out by sub-inspector Pravin Patharkar.Earlier, the local crime branch of the Ahilyanagar police busted an illegal LPG refilling racket in Kamargaon on March 23, arresting four people involved in siphoning gas from three tanker capsules. The capsules, capable of refilling around 4,500 domestic LPG cylinders, were seized with other material worth Rs 2.01 crore.Meanwhile, the accused drivers arrested by the flying squad were produced before a court on Friday and remanded to police custody for three days, till April 5.