Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, April 3 Authorities have busted an LPG smuggling syndicate in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Maharashtra, that was stealing gas from tankers and seized assets worth over Rs 1.26 crore, an official said on Friday.
Acting on information, a team from the Maharashtra State Level Vigilance Cell carried out a raid at a secluded spot in the Khojewadi Shivar area late on the night of April 2.
During the operation led by vigilance cell head Ganesh Bellale, the team caught the racketeers red-handed as they breached the seals of HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited) tankers to steal gas into smaller commercial and domestic cylinders, the official said.
Two suspects were apprehended at the scene. The team seized two tankers (MH 43 K 5921 and MH 43 CK 5747) carrying a combined 35,220 kg of LPG along with 26 cylinders, including 19.2 kg commercial and 14.2 kg domestic units.
The confiscated assets are worth nearly Rs 1.26 crore, the official said. The seized gas volume was equivalent to the monthly supply to nearly 2,480 underprivileged families, he said.
"These mafias are lining their pockets by stealing fuel meant for the common citizen's kitchen," a senior official said.
Amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia, which has disrupted energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, the government has warned of strict action against those stealing cooking gas and individuals involved in hoarding, unauthorized storage, or illegally reselling LPG cylinders.