Man held in Gurugram for illegal LPG refilling, 35 cylinders seized

Accused caught near private hospital with filled and empty cylinders; probe finds gas transferred from large to small units

A 45-year-old man was arrested from Sector 12, Gurugram, for allegedly stocking, unauthorised refilling and sale of LPG cylinders, officials from the district food and supplies controller (DFSC) department said.

District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC) officials with the seized cylinders. (HT)

Thirty-five cylinders were recovered from an empty plot near a private hospital during a joint operation by DFSC teams and local police on Tuesday around 9am, officials privy to the matter said.

DFSC inspector Ashok Rawat said the department acted on secret information about unauthorised LPG sales in the area. “An investigative team was formed and sent to the spot. Around 32 filled domestic cylinders, one empty cylinder, two empty five-kilogram cylinders, and one filled ten-kilogram cylinder were seized,” he said.

Preliminary investigations revealed gas was being refilled from larger cylinders into smaller ones. The accused, identified as Niranjan, 45, a resident of Lakshman Vihar, was handed over to police, Rawat added.

DFSC Inspector Rakesh Kumar said an FIR under Sections 7, 10 and 55 of the Essential Commodities Act has been registered. “The area police have assured timely legal proceedings,” he said.

Rawat said six DFSC teams are conducting round-the-clock inspections. “The administration is fully alert… monitoring is being conducted daily”, he said, adding that average daily consumption is 13,311 cylinders against available stock of 15,359.