NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police booked a gas agency owner for allegedly hoarding and black marketing LPG cylinders in outer Delhi’s Ranhola area, seizing 459 cylinders during a raid, an official said on Thursday.
The accused, identified as Susheel Kumar Singhal, owner of HP Balaji Gas Agency, was found allegedly involved in illegal storage and misuse of commercial LPG cylinders, the police said in a statement.
According to police, the operation was carried out following specific intelligence inputs regarding large-scale hoarding amid concerns over a possible LPG shortage.
“A coordinated raid was conducted at the gas agency located on Nilothi Road in Ranhola, where 459 empty LPG cylinders of Indane and Bharat Petroleum were recovered,” a senior police officer said. The seized cylinders included 284 Indane gas cylinders and 175 Bharat Petroleum cylinders, police said, adding that a food supply officer was called to the scene to initiate action. A case has been registered under Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and further investigation is underway.
Police said the gas agency owner hoarded commercial LPG cylinders, diverting them from legal channels. He allegedly exploited demand-supply gaps to sell at inflated prices. The stock was disguised as regular inventory. Recovered cylinders were handed over to a Hindustan Petroleum Gas representative.