Hyderabad, March 30: In a significant crackdown, Hyderabad police seized 414 LPG cylinders hidden in a cemetery on Monday amid ongoing shortages due to the Gulf War. This operation led to the arrest of 10 individuals involved in an illegal LPG hoarding racket.
The Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force collaborated with the Banjara Hills police to uncover this operation. According to Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar, the suspects were caught stockpiling the cylinders in a cemetery in Banjara Hills, intending to sell them at inflated prices for profit.
Authorities confiscated property worth ₹21.88 lakh, including 11 transport vehicles. The Commissioner stated on the social media platform X, “We are committed to ensuring public safety and will take strict action against anyone involved in illegal hoarding and black marketing.”
Earlier, Deputy Commissioner of Police Vaibhav Raghunath announced the bust during a press conference. The accused had illegally stored HP cylinders near Nagarjuna X Road in Banjara Hills, selling them to needy customers at exorbitant rates.
Among those arrested were a gas supplier, three delivery boys, two drivers, and laborers. The seized cylinders included 30 filled 47-kilogram cylinders, 148 filled 19-kilogram cylinders, 192 empty 19-kilogram cylinders, 35 filled 5-kilogram cylinders, and nine 5-kilogram cylinders.
The confiscated vehicles comprised two DCM trucks, two Boleros, a Tata Ace, a Tata, four Piaggio autos, and a Tata Magic.
Police investigations revealed that the main suspect, Mohammad Aamir, operated a licensed HP gas agency named ‘Metro Gas Agency’ located in Mamidipalle village, Shamshabad, with an office near Afzalgunj in Hyderabad.
The inquiry found that the accused were blatantly violating regulations by dumping HP gas cylinders in the cemetery with the help of laborers. The DCP noted that the suspects exploited the public by selling these gas cylinders at higher prices, thereby reaping illegal profits.
Other arrested individuals included Mohammad Yusuf, Mohammad Ismail, A. Rama Rao, Lok Kumar, Mohammad Sakruddin, Mohammad Muntaz Ansari, Mohammad Minaj Ansari, Rajesh Pal, and Ram Raj Singh.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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