Illegal Use Of Domestic LPG Cylinders At South Mumbai Hotel Triggers FIR Under Essential Commodities Act

Mumbai: An FIR has been registered at LT Marg Police Station against two individuals for allegedly storing and using domestic LPG cylinders illegally for commercial purposes at a hotel in South Mumbai.

Raid conducted

According to officials, the complainant, Kritika Madhusudan Desai (56), a rationing officer with the government for over 33 years and currently posted at Rationing Office No. 6-A, CP Tank, received a complaint from a senior citizen, Ashok Ramchandra Agrawal (78), regarding suspected misuse of domestic gas cylinders.

Acting on the information on March 28, 2026, Desai, along with Assistant Rationing Officer Samishra Pawaskar and Rationing Inspector Yogesh Pawar, conducted a raid at Laxmi Vilas Hindu Hotel located at Bharat Chamber Building in Kalbadevi.

LPG misuse found

During the inspection, officials found that domestic LPG cylinders were being illegally stored and used for commercial purposes in the hotel kitchen without valid authorization or license. One empty domestic gas cylinder was recovered from the premises, while another filled cylinder had already been seized earlier and deposited at the police station.

The hotel manager, identified as Prakash Hansaram Purohit (28), failed to provide valid documents or permits for the cylinders. The hotel owner, Harish Mehta, has also been named in the case.

Safety violations cited

Officials stated that the illegal storage and use of domestic LPG cylinders posed a serious threat to public safety and violated provisions under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, along with relevant LPG control regulations.

Both accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Essential Commodities Act. Further investigation is underway.

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