Mumbai: Tempo driver held for LPG theft and black marketing; 27 cylinders seized in Charkop

The accused and the seized cylinders. Pic/By Special Arrangement

Mumbai Police have arrested a 32-year-old tempo driver, Manoj Surendra Sharma, for allegedly stealing LPG cylinders and selling them at inflated prices amid an ongoing gas shortage. He was apprehended by the Charkop police from Nalasopara. According to police, Sharma stole 27 LPG cylinders from a parked tempo at Kaka Keni Chowk in Kandivli West between March 25 and 26.

He then hid the cylinders at his residence and began selling them at premium rates to exploit the shortage. He had already sold 15 cylinders and was seeking buyers for the remaining stock. The case was cracked using CCTV footage, which captured a suspicious tempo later traced to the accused's brother.

Police Speak

Police said Sharma has a long criminal record, with over 60 cases of robbery and house-breaking registered against him in the Thane and Mira-Bhayandar-Vasai-Virar, and 13 cases in Mumbai.

The arrest

A team led by DCP Sandeep Jadhav and ACP Nita Padvi carried out the arrest. "We have recovered 12 stolen cylinders and seized the tempo used in the crime," said Senior Inspector Vinayak Chavhan.

12
No of cylinders recovered by the police