The Delhi Police Crime Branch has seized 610 LPG cylinders during a raid on a godown in the Mundka area of outer Delhi, exposing an illegal hoarding operation.

Crime Branch raid uncovers large illegal LPG stock

Acting on specific intelligence, officials raided a premises operating under the name Guruji Indane Gas Service, where a large number of cylinders were allegedly stored illegally. The operation was conducted by the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Crime Branch. During the raid, police found 197 filled cylinders, 392 empty commercial cylinders and 21 small domestic cylinders on the premises. In addition, 26 industrial cylinders with a capacity of 47 kg were also discovered inside the godown.

Investigators said the cylinders belonged to multiple oil companies, including Indane, Bharat Gas and HP Gas, which were stored together at the same location. Officials noted that the distributor was authorised to supply only commercial Indane cylinders, making the presence of cylinders from other companies a violation of LPG control regulations. Authorities suspect the cylinders were being hoarded to manipulate supply and potentially sell them at inflated prices on the black market.

Also Read | AIIMS Rajkot tragedy: 5 MBBS students arrested over classmate’s suicide

FIR registered under Essential Commodities Act

Police said the raid was conducted in the presence of officials from the Food Supply and Consumer Affairs Department, who confirmed that storing cylinders from multiple companies at a single distributor’s premises is illegal.

Initial verification also revealed irregularities in the distributor’s stock records. According to information from the Indian Oil Corporation, the authorised stock of Indane commercial cylinders at the agency was expected to be nil as of March 15, yet officers recovered 133 filled Indane cylinders during the raid. Following the seizure, police registered an FIR at the Crime Branch police station under Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with criminal conspiracy.

Also Read | 19-year-old arrested for stabbing youth in northwest Delhi

Officials said strict action is being taken against illegal hoarding and black marketing of essential commodities in the city. Delhi Police added that enforcement teams are continuing inspections to prevent similar violations and ensure public safety, as storing large quantities of LPG cylinders illegally can pose a serious fire and safety risk in densely populated areas.