Motihari LPG Gas Theft: Is the LPG cylinder coming to your house completely full or is its gas being stolen on the way? Are you even getting the same amount of gas in the cylinder as you are paying? Motihari, Bihar: Police have busted an alleged game of domestic LPG theft and black marketing in Motihari, East Champaran district, which has raised questions about the monitoring of the gas distribution system.
It is alleged that gas was taken out of the gas cylinders reaching the consumers on the way and then the cylinders were re-sealed and delivered to the agency. The police have arrested four accused in this case in Madhuban police station area. A six-wheeler truck loaded with gas, 355 domestic LPG cylinders, two gas extracting nozzles, 98 tools to reseal cylinders and 1.05 liters of English liquor were recovered from the spot.
Accused of extracting 2 to 3 kg of gas from each cylinder
According to the police, the arrested accused have confessed during interrogation to extract the gas and re-seal the cylinders and send them forward. During interrogation, the accused said that 2 to 3 kg of gas was allegedly extracted from domestic cylinders containing 14.4 kg and filled in empty cylinders. After this, the cylinders extracted from the gas were sealed again, so that no one would suspect.
In this way, it has been revealed that the cylinders are delivered to the gas agency. This is not only a case of theft and black marketing of gas, but also a serious case of direct fraud with consumers. According to Madhuban police station in-charge Praveen Kumar Pandey, the police team was on night patrol. Meanwhile, a six-wheeler truck loaded with LPG cylinders was seen parked near the Panchayat Sarkar Bhavan in Delho in the police station area.
The accused were found filling gas in other cylinders with the help of nozzles.
When the police team reached near the truck, four people were found taking out gas from domestic LPG cylinders with the help of nozzles and filling them in other cylinders. The police took immediate action and arrested the four on the spot. During the search of the truck, two nozzles for extracting gas and 98 sealing tools used to reseal the cylinders were found. Apart from this, 1.05 liters of English liquor was also recovered from the driver’s cabin of the truck.
The police seized a total of 355 domestic LPG cylinders from the spot. Of these, 350 are filled and five empty cylinders are reported. A six-wheeler truck loaded with gas cylinders has also been seized. According to the police, the arrested accused have been identified as Brajesh Paswan, Dharmendra Paswan, Arvind Paswan and Ishant Kumar, both residents of Delho village in Madhuban police station area of East Champaran district.
How to check the weight of a cylinder?
An FIR has been registered at Madhuban police station. The police are taking further legal action against the accused. This case has raised questions on the supply system of domestic gas cylinders. Consumers should check the weight and seal of the cylinder while taking it. The total weight can be matched by looking at the prescribed quantity of gas recorded on the domestic LPG cylinder and the empty weight of the cylinder.
If weight disturbance is suspected, contact the gas agency or the concerned complaint service. The case in Motihari shows how important it is to investigate and monitor alleged irregularities in the supply of gas.