CUTTACK: Cuttack police has busted an illegal LPG storage facility at Brahmanjharilo market and seized as many as 143 gas cylinders. Two persons, identified as Asit Patra and Anil Patra of Brahmanjharilo have been arrested in the connection.
The illegal facility was reportedly functioning from a four-storeyed building along state highway-60 connecting Phulnakhara and Niali. Acting on a tip-off regarding illegal storage and distribution of LPG cylinders, a police team led by ACP Amitabh Mohapatra conducted a raid on the premises.
During the operation, police seized 143 cylinders, of which 106 were filled and the remaining empty. Equipment used for refilling and sealing along with two Tata Ace vehicles were also confiscated. According to the police, the accused had been collecting domestic LPG cylinders from households, extracting the gas and refilling it into commercial cylinders.
These were then sold to commercial establishments at higher prices by taking advantage of the cooking gas shortage. Mohapatra said the facility operating from a multi-storeyed residential structure posed a serious safety risk to local residents.
This is not the first such case reported in the area. Earlier this week, an enforcement team led by Baranga tehsildar Tushar Jyotiranjan seized 524 gas cylinders from a farmhouse at Gangeswar in the Kuranga Sashan locality under the same police limits.