18 March,2026 06:26 PM IST | Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Police said that the stockpiling of such a large number of cylinders without safety measures posed a serious risk to nearby residents. Representational image
Amid the ongoing LPG crisis across the country, the Delhi Police on Wednesday busted multiple illegal LPG storage and refilling units across the city, news agency PTI reported. The police seized a total of 269 cylinders and apprehended six persons in separate operations, an officer said.
In South Delhi's Rajpur Khurd area, the police unearthed an illegal LPG storage unit, arresting two persons and seizing 223 cylinders from the premises.
The accused, who have been taken into custody, are identified as Hitesh Rathi (38) and Arvind Kumar (40). As per officers, both of them were allegedly operating the facility without a valid licence or authorisation, PTI reported.
The officer further said, "Police raided a plot in Rajpur Khurd village on Tuesday and recovered 223 Indane LPG cylinders, including 16 filled and 45 empty domestic cylinders and 162 empty commercial cylinders."
Along with the cylinders, an electronic weighing machine and eight safety caps were also seized by officers.
Police said that the stockpiling of such a large number of cylinders without safety measures posed a serious risk to nearby residents.
"The accused failed to produce valid documents for storing the cylinders," the officer added. Officials from the food and supplies department and Indane Gas verified the seizure, stated PTI.
In a separate operation, Delhi Police busted three illegal LPG storage and refilling units in the Khyala area and apprehended four persons, recovering 46 cylinders from them. The accused have been identified as Shivmurat Singh (40), Raghuraj (26), Arvind Singh (27), and Ompal (37), the police said.
Of the recovered cylinders, 20 were of Indane Gas and 26 of Bharat Gas. They were seized from the rented premises and temporary sheds. Weighing machines and illegal refilling equipment were also recovered, officers said.
"During interrogation, the accused revealed that they procured LPG cylinders using fake identities and stored them in congested areas to avoid detection. They allegedly extracted gas from filled cylinders and refilled empty ones to create additional cylinders for sale in the black market at inflated prices of up to Rs 3,000 per cylinder," an officer said.
The police suspect the possible involvement of gas agency personnel, as the accused claimed to have sourced cylinders from local agencies. The role of these agencies is being examined.
Separate cases have been registered under the Essential Commodities Act and the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and further investigation is underway.
(With inputs from PTI)
