226 oxygen cylinders seized from Katihar railway station

A team of Katihar district administration raided railway station premises late on Sunday night and seized 226 oxygen cylinders allegedly transported by a gang that has been milking the crisis to make hay in the black market

A team of Katihar district administration raided railway station premises late on Sunday night and seized 226 oxygen cylinders allegedly transported by a gang that has been milking the crisis to make hay in the black market.

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Police suspect that the black marketers was sourcing the cylinders from Maharashtra. SDO Shankar Sharan said that the administration got a tip-off about a consignment of new oxygen cylinders alighted from Lokmanya Tilak Express train at Katihar and being uploaded in different vehicles.

They sought help from Railway authorities about the details of those who booked the consignment. Administration also scanned CCTV footages of railway station premises to identify the persons, vehicle drivers and cleaners.

“Once we got an input, a police team and the district drug control officer conducted a raid near the VIP gate of Katihar railway station. We seized two pickup vans loaded with small oxygen cylinders from the spot. However, drivers and others managed to escape,” SDPO Amarkant Jha. Police also seized a car from the spot, which allegedly belongs to the owner of a local news channel.

SDM Shankar Sharan said, “Preliminary investigation suggested that the consignment was meant for black marketing. The accused wouldn’t have escaped in case they had valid papers”.