Patna, March 14 Amid rising global tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the US, the district administration in Bihar's Madhubani district, on Saturday, remained on alert over the possibility of a gas shortage.
The police have recovered a large number of LPG cylinders from a bicycle repair shop in Tamuriya village.
The raid was carried out under the jurisdiction of the Lakhnaur police station after the police received a confidential tip-off.
According to officials, the bicycle shop was allegedly being used to stockpile domestic and commercial gas cylinders for black-marketing under the pretext of bicycle sales and repair work.
During the raid, police recovered dozens of commercial LPG cylinders and around two dozen domestic cylinders.
In connection with the case, police arrested Laxman Mahto, son of Jaynarayan Mahto, a resident of Tamuriya village.
Speaking about the case, Subodh Kumar Sinha, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of the Jhanjharpur subdivision, said that the recovered cylinders belong to Hindustan Petroleum.
Authorities suspect possible involvement of local gas agency operators in the illegal stockpiling.
However, officials said that no gas agency names have been disclosed yet, as the investigation is still ongoing.
According to the DSP, the details of those involved will be revealed after the inquiry is completed.
Meanwhile, Bhai Virendra, the Rashtriya Janata Dal MLA from Maner, criticised the Bihar government over LPG pricing and supply issues.
Speaking at a commemorative event in Rohtas's Akhtiyarpur on the first death anniversary of teacher Jainendra Prasad Singh, Virendra alleged that the current LPG shortage is artificially created.
He compared the situation with the time of the 2016 Demonetisation exercise, claiming that while ordinary people faced long queues, some individuals benefited through black-marketing.
According to him, a similar situation is emerging now, where LPG cylinders are allegedly being hoarded and black-marketed while the public faces shortages.
Virendra also claimed that such a large-scale shortage of LPG cylinders cannot occur naturally, suggesting that the crisis is being deliberately engineered to benefit certain groups.
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