Hyderabad: Goshamahal Police arrested five persons involved in illegal LPG refilling activities in Hyderabad.
Police booked the accused for cheating and acts endangering public safety.
The case was registered under Sections 318(4), 287, 288 and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police also invoked provisions of the Essential Commodities Act and Explosives Act.
Investigators said the accused illegally refilled gas into smaller cylinders and commercial cylinders.
Police identified the accused as Alle Sai Kumar, Dalmova Vineeth Kumar, D. Praveen Kumar, Makadia Ameet Kumar and Pusa Ganesh.
Illegal LPG refilling racket exposed after customer complaint
According to police, Ashok Tiwari lodged a complaint on May 1 after receiving an underweight Indane gas cylinder.
He alleged that the cylinder weighed around 28 kg instead of the standard 30.4 kg.
The complainant also stated that cylinders supplied earlier got depleted unusually fast.
During inquiry, he suspected that delivery personnel linked to Siddhartha Enterprises were illegally refilling cylinders and cheating customers.
Acting on credible information, Goshamahal Police apprehended the accused and shifted them to the police station for questioning.
Police seized two commercial cylinders, seven domestic cylinders, 12 small cylinders and one refilling kit during the operation.
Officials later produced the accused before the court. The court remanded them to judicial custody.
Police advised citizens to verify the weight of LPG cylinders during delivery and report suspicious activities immediately.
The arrests took place under the supervision of Golconda Zone DCP G. Chandra Mohan and ACP K. Chandra Shekar Reddy.