Illegal LPG racket busted in Bangalore, eight persons arrested

The City Crime Branch (CCB) police raided eight illegal gas-filling centres in KG Halli, Sampigehalli and Hebbal and arrested eight men involved in the racket.

The police recovered 44 LPG cylinders, motor pumps, filling gun, weighing machine and cash worth Rs2.5 lakh from the arrested persons.

On interrogation, the accused confessed to the police that they used the domestic LPG cylinders of Indane, Barathgas and HP for refilling autorickshaws. Police said that all the arrested were involved in the illegal trade for the past many years. Also, the seized cylinders were in the names of other persons.

CCB police conducted a raid on these places on March 22 and 23, following a tip-off. “The accused do not possess a valid licence to refill gas. Also, they were following an unscientific method, which could have been dangerous in case of a blast while refilling the autorickshaws. It posed a danger to both the fillers, their customers and the public,” police said.

Police said that the cylinders were supplied to the accused by distribution agencies, who were paid a commission for each cylinder.

The illegal racketeers were selling the LPG at a lesser price than the commercial rates charged by fuel filling stations.

The arrested have been identified as Abdul Rawoof, Syed Ahamed, Murali Mohan alias Murali, Venkatesh, Abdul Naheem, Javeed, Shabbir and Santosh.