The Pimpri Chinchwad police's Crime Branch unit has arrested three individuals involved in black marketing of LPG cylinders in two different cases. The accused were found to be in possession of 72 LPG cylinders, valued at Rs 1.5 lakh, which have been seized by the police.
Three individuals who have been taken into custody are Vishu Sutar (24) and Srihar Panchal (25), who reside in Sadashiv colony, Thergaon, and Jairam Chaudhary (22), who lives in the Mulshi area.
The police received a tip-off about the illicit trade of LPG cylinders in Pimpri Chinchwad, wherein the accused were involved in the illegal practice of selling cylinders at inflated prices through black marketing.
Acting on the information, the police team set up a trap and conducted a raid at the Arya Gas service shop situated in the Thergaon area. During the operation, they apprehended Sutar and Panchal in the act and seized a total of 21 domestic LPG cylinders from various companies, along with one empty domestic cylinder, one domestic half-degassed tank, one empty commercial cylinder, five small cylinders, one small brass refiller, one iron refill pipe, and other materials valued at Rs.78,700.
In another related operation, the police apprehended Jairam Chaudhary, who was found to be in possession of nine LPG cylinders, eleven empty cylinders from various companies, two empty cylinders of different sizes, eleven small cylinders filled with gas, ten empty small cylinders, two brass refiller nozzles, one electronic weighing fork, and other materials. The total value of these items seized was estimated to be Rs. 71,525.
All three accused were involved in the unlawful activity of refilling domestic gas cylinders into small 4-kg gas tanks without following any safety measures. This illegal practice posed a serious risk of fire hazards, endangering human lives.
The Wakad police station has registered a case against the accused under the relevant sections of the law, and the police are currently carrying out further investigations into the matter.