Guna: LPG cylinders distributed under Ujjwala Scheme land at hotels; two held

Guna (Madhya Pradesh): Police have arrested two persons for black marketing domestic gas cylinders and seized 329 LPG cylinders from their possession in Raghogarh. The two accused used to purchase the LPG cylinders from the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana at low rate and then sold the same to hotels and restaurants operators at higher rates.

The beneficiaries get the domestic LPG at no cost under the scheme.

Superintendent of police Rajiv Kumar Mishra said that his team intercepted a man during night patrolling. The man, identified as Pramod Jain, 54 was carrying three LPG cylinders. On being questioned, Jain confessed to illegally selling LPG cylinders at a higher price. He informed police to have stored more such cylinders in his storehouse.

Police recovered 30 LPG cylinders including 20 of Indane Gas and 10 of Bharat Gas. Jain failed to furnish the license when demanded.

A case has been registered against him under Section 3/7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1980.

Police later found that another trader Tejnarayan Phoolmali of Katra Mohalla was also engaged in selling domestic gas cylinders illegally.

Raghogarh police station in-charge Avneet Sharma, tehsildar Mohit Jain and junior supply officer Ashish Kumar Chaturvedi conducted searches ay Phoolmaliís residence and found as many as 299 LPG cylinders. This includes 102 of Bharat Gas and 197 Indane Gas. The accused confessed to have sold the cylinders at higher rates to hotel and restaurant operators.

Police have arrested him for black marketing of domestic cylinders and registered a case against him under Section 3/7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1980.