Hyderabad: Police Foil Diversion of LPG Cylinders

Hyderabad: Ten persons, including a cooking gas agency operator, were arrested for the alleged selling of LPG cylinders at inflated prices near Nagarjuna crossroads in Banjara Hills, police said on Monday. The Jubilee Hills commissioner’s task force along with Banjara Hills police caught the accused red-handed while they were dumping HP gas cylinders at a graveyard in violation of safety norms, police said.

The police identified the main accused as Mohd. Aamir, who allegedly ran the Metro Gas Agency in Shamshabad and led the illegal operation. Others arrested included Mohd. Yousuf, Mohd. Ismail, A. Rama Rao, Lok Kumar, Mohd. Sakruddin, Mohd. Muntaz Ansari, Mohd. Minaj Ansari, Rajesh Pal and Ram Raj Singh.

During the interrogation, Aamir allegedly confessed that he was diverting gas cylinders and dumping them at the graveyard with the help of labourers from where they would be sold to customers at higher prices. The team seized 414 LPG cylinders worth ₹21.88 lakh along with 10 goods carriage vans and autos. The accused were handed over to Banjara Hills police and produced before a court, which remanded them to judicial custody.