LPG Cylinder Shortage: Cyber Fraudsters Pose as Mahanagar Gas Limited Officials, Dupe Two Women of Rs 4 Lakh in Kalyan-Dombivli

Two women from Kalyan-Dombivli were reportedly duped in an online scam after fraudsters impersonated officials of Mahanagar Gas Limited and persuaded them to install a harmful mobile application, police said on Friday. According to Suhas Hemade, the victims received phone calls from an unidentified individual who claimed to represent the gas company. The caller instructed them to download an APK file and complete a form on their smartphones, claiming it was necessary to update gas service details. Soon after they followed the instructions, nearly Rs 4 lakh was allegedly withdrawn from their bank accounts without authorization.

The incident has emerged at a time when several areas in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region are experiencing a serious shortage of LPG cylinders. Localities such as Navi Mumbai and Thane have been affected by the limited supply. Earlier in the day, residents in Sanpada were seen lining up outside gas agencies as early as 3 am in an attempt to secure LPG cylinders. Videos circulating on the social media platform X showed long queues of people waiting with empty cylinders as supplies continued to decline.

#WATCH | Kalyan-Dombivli, Maharashtra | Two women fall victim to online fraud to 'gas information update' scam, ACP Suhas Hemade says," Two women received a call from an unknown caller, acting to be calling from Mahanagar Gas Limited and asked them to download and open an APK… pic.twitter.com/E3GUNMXHOc

— ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2026

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The shortage has also created major difficulties for the hospitality industry across the region. Vijay Shetty stated that nearly 20 percent of the city’s estimated 16,000 restaurants had shut down by Tuesday due to the lack of LPG supply, and the figure increased to about 35 percent the following day. Reports further indicated that more than one-fifth of hotels in Raigad district and Navi Mumbai had suspended operations by March 11 after gas cylinders became unavailable. Hotel owners also alleged that LPG cylinders were being sold illegally in the black market for prices beginning at around Rs 3,000, much higher than standard rates.