Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 27 (ANI): The District Supply Department of Tiruppur seized more than 200 commercial and domestic cylinders stored for sale without proper permission in Thai Mookambigai Nagar near Chamundipuram in Tiruppur on Thursday.

The department had earlier received information that cylinders were stored without proper permission

Acting on the information, District Supply Officer and Consumer Protection Officer Saravanan, officers led by Civil Supplies (North) Ragavi and Civil Supplies Criminal Investigation Inspector Rajasekhar rushed to the spot and conducted an investigation.

The investigation revealed that more than 200 commercial and domestic cylinders were stored for sale.

Subsequent investigation by the authorities revealed that the above cylinders belong to Vinayaka Gas Agencies. Further, they are conducting further investigation in this regard with the owner of the agency, Mohan.

On Wednesday, the Delhi Police Crime Branch busted an illegal LPG racket in Sangam Vihar, South Delhi, arresting four accused and recovering 183 gas cylinders. The operation was carried out following a tip-off about suspicious storage and distribution activities in the area.

According to the police, four accused have been apprehended, identified as Sher Singh, Suraj Parihar, Raghu Raj Singh, and Jitender Sharma. All the accused are registered delivery personnel of an authorised gas agency and were involved in illegal storage and refilling of LPG cylinders under the guise of distribution, according to the police.

According to police officials, a total of 183 Indane gas cylinders were seized from three rented godowns, of which 154 were filled and 29 were empty.

Investigation revealed that after collecting cylinders from the agency, the accused did not deliver them to customers but instead stored them in rented godowns. There, they illegally extracted 1-2 kilograms of gas from filled cylinders and transferred it into empty ones using makeshift equipment. These refilled cylinders were then sold in the open market at higher prices.

During the raids, police recovered tools used in the illegal operation, including iron pipes, electronic weighing scales, and refilling instruments from the spot. The entire setup indicated a well-organised racket operating under the cover of legitimate distribution.

A case has been registered under the Essential Commodities Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said that India's petroleum and LPG supply situation is fully secure and under control.

All retail fuel outlets have enough supplies, and there is no shortage of petrol, diesel, or LPG anywhere in the country, the Ministry said in a release. (ANI)