Illegal LPG storage unit busted in south Delhi; 223 cylinders seized, 2 held

The Delhi Police has busted an illegal LPG cylinder storage unit in south Delhi’s Rajpur Khurd, arresting two persons and seizing 223 cylinders from the premises, officials said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Hitesh Rathi, 38, and Arvind Kumar, 40, were allegedly operating the facility without valid licence or authorisation, they added.

Acting on specific intelligence, police raided a plot in Rajpur Khurd village on Tuesday. During the search, they recovered 223 Indane LPG cylinders, including 16 filled and 45 empty domestic cylinders, and 162 empty commercial cylinders, officials said.

An electronic weighing machine and eight safety caps were also seized from the location, they added.

Police said the premises were being used as an illegal storage facility, adding that stockpiling such large number of LPG cylinders without proper safety measures posed serious risk to nearby residents.

The accused failed to produce any valid documents or satisfactory explanation for storing the cylinders, they said.

Officials from the food and supplies department and Indane Gas representatives were called to verify and count the seized LPG cylinders, police said.

A case has been registered in this connection at Maidan Garhi police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Essential Commodities Act, and further investigation is underway, they added.