Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A total of 225 cylinders were seized by the Food and Civil Supplies Department on Saturday from two places in Tanzim Nagar and Khizrabad of Khajrana area in a drive against illegal storage and refilling of gas cylinders. A case was registered against four persons including the gas agency supplier.
These seizures were a result of a joint action conducted by the Crime Branch and Civil Supplies Department.
In Tanzim Nagar, the joint action team found two persons Athar Shaikh and Asad Shaikh engaged in the business of transferring gas from 14.2 kg cylinders to 19 kg capacity commercial gas cylinders using two electric machines in two rooms inside a house in a dense residential area.
The team seized 60 filled domestic cylinders of 14.2 kg capacity and 20 empty cylinders, 49 empty commercial cylinders of 19 kg capacity, 2 gas transfer electric machines, 8 gas transfer pipes, 22 gas transfer devices and 2 electronic weighing machines.
During interrogation, Akhtar Shaikh confessed that he used to take these cylinders from Rajesh Jaiswal of Shree Annapurna HP Gas Agency and sold the commercial cylinders to HPCL Commercial Shivanand Gas Agency at Phooti Kothi.
A second team that undertook the drive in Khizrabad found Shakir Shah involved in the transfer of gas. He used to work on the third floor of a three-storey narrow house in a dense residential area, in which 5 families live on rent. He used to fill gas from 14.2 kg cylinders into 19 kg and 5 kg/3 kg cylinders.
This team seized 30 domestic empty cylinders of 14.2 kg capacity, 15 commercial empty cylinders of 19 kg capacity, 8 HP Gas commercial gas cylinders of 5 kg capacity and 43 cylinders of 3 kg capacity. In total 96 gas cylinders, 1 motorized gas transfer machine, 5 pieces of gas transfer pipes, seal caps of different gas companies and 1 weighing machine were seized.
Shakir also took the domestic cylinders from Rajesh Jaiswal and used to sell it to Shivanand Agency, said officials.
A case has been registered under the Essential Commodities Act against Shakir Shah, Athar Shaikh, Asad Shaikh and Rajesh Jaiswal for illegal storage, sale and refilling of gas cylinders in residential areas.
