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Suspect was arrested in past for running LPG theft racket
With the help of two accomplices, including an employee of a local LPG gas agency, Mahipal used to procure filled LPG cylinders, steal a small portion of it and fill into empty cylinders to be sold to retailers
PUNE The Pimpri-Chinchwad police probe into the serial explosions at Tathawade has revealed that the suspects involved in illegal refilling of cylinders through a tanker laden with propylene gas were allegedly running a racket of stealing LPG from domestic cylinders.
Police on Monday arrested Mahipal Chaudhari and two others for allegedly stealing gas from a tanker that caused the explosions and gutted vehicles parked in the vicinity.
Kakasaheb Dole, deputy commissioner of police (zone 2), said, “The main suspect Mahipal was arrested for a similar crime in September and was out on bail.”
Mahipal was nabbed in an LPG gas theft case reported at Ravet Police Station in April 2023. The police had raided his illegal unit near Karuna Hotel and arrested him.
The suspect took up crime after facing loss in running a grocery shop.
With the help of two accomplices, including an employee of a local LPG gas agency, Mahipal used to procure filled LPG cylinders, steal a small portion of it and fill into empty cylinders to be sold to retailers.
Meanwhile, consumers have complained of their domestic cylinders getting exhausted faster than it used to before. Sapana Keskar of Kalewadi in Pimpri-Chinchwad said, “I do not know to check the weight of filled cylinders, but earlier it used to last for at least 45 days and now gets over in 20-22 days.”
Maruti Bhapkar, social activist, said, “The filled cylinders are unloaded from vehicles in connivance with gas agency staff and carried to accused’s shop where about 10-15 per cent of the fuel is pumped out and the cylinder resealed. Everyone involved gets a cut.”
Shivaji Gaware, senior inspector, Ravet Police Station, said, “Mahipal supplied filled cylinders at lower than market rates.”
According to the Wakad police, the main accused approached a truck driver carrying gas from Kochi to Gujarat and was attempting to steal gas from the tanker to a commercial cylinder when the explosions took place.
According to officials, as per norms, the net weight of a domestic LPG cylinder is 14.2kg and industrial counterpart 19.2kg. The maximum permissible error on domestic LPG cylinders is plus or minus 150gm. Pandurang Tekale of Sandesh Gas Agency in Pimpri said that customers are advised to alert if they feel anything suspicious related to sale of LPG cylinders.
