NEW DELHI: Three men were arrested in southwest Delhi’s Mahipalpur for allegedly hoarding LPG cylinders to sell them at premium prices, police said on Sunday.
The accused were identified as Krishna, Dinesh Sahu, and Mithilesh, aged 33, 46, and 39, respectively. All hail from Bihar but have been living in Delhi, officials said.
Following the arrests, police seized 74 LPG cylinders—70 domestic and four commercial—along with a transport vehicle and refilling equipment during a raid conducted on Saturday, an official added. “The trio was engaged in illegally storing LPG cylinders and supplying them to local customers without bills or licences.
They allegedly used metal pipes to transfer gas from multiple filled cylinders into empty ones to manipulate supply and increase margins,” a police officer said. “During the search, a large number of LPG cylinders, weighing machines, and gas transfer equipment were found. The accused failed to produce any valid documents for storage or distribution of the cylinders,” the officer further stated.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Essential Commodities Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Vasant Kunj North police station. The three men were allegedly involved in the illegal LPG trade in the Mahipalpur area for the past three years, a senior police official said.