Chennai: In a joint operation, officials of IndianOil Corporation Ltd and TN police busted a racket of transferring cooking gas from domestic cylinders to premium priced commercial cylinder by illegally diverting the supply chain to make extra monetary benefit as there is wide price gap between domestic and commercial cylinders.
Civil supply CID police had registered a case under essential commodity act and arrested M Kumar, 45, a resident of Saligramam besides seizing 25 domestic LPG cylinders and 20 commercial cylinders from his house.
Kumar was working in a gas agency earlier and he knew the tricks of the trade, which he used and flourished in the illegal business.
He used to get the cylinders, which were not delivered because of locked housed and also due to change of addresses. Police believe that apart from Kumar, who was running racket from his house, delivery boys of various gas agencies could be involved in the illegal business. LPG cylinders of all three oil companies were found in his house.
Without the help of few delivery boys, it will not be possible to divert the domestic cylinders illegally. This is the first time in recent history police have seized so many diverted cylinders from one place.
Officials noted that tampering of cooking gas cylinders could be very dangerous and such transfer of gas and storing of large number cylinders can invite major accidents in the neighbourhood. The cylinders were seized and sent to a nearby gas dealer for safety custody.
