Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Amid an LPG shortage due to the ongoing war, a case of gas cylinder theft has come to light in the Banganga area. A gas agency employee allegedly disappeared with more than 30 empty LPG cylinders collected from customers on the pretext of delivering filled cylinders soon. No arrest had been made till the filing of this report.
Banganga police station in-charge Siyaram Gurjar said that a case under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered against Mukesh Sonone on the complaint of gas agency owner Santosh Shankardatt Mishra, a resident of Vallabh Nagar.
Mishra said that he operates a gas warehouse, Gas Point, in the Tulsiyana Industrial Estate in the Kumedi Kankad area. Sonone, a resident of Nehru Nagar, had been working at the gas point for many years.
Mishra said that Sonone visited customers’ homes and falsely claimed that he would replace their empty cylinders with filled ones. He collected around 30 empty cylinders from different customers but did not return with filled cylinders.
When customers did not receive their cylinders, they approached the gas agency owner with complaints. Meanwhile, Sonone went missing from the warehouse. As customers created a scene over the issue, the matter was reported to the police and a case was registered against him.
Police suspect that the suspect may have sold the empty cylinders illegally on the black market. His mobile phone has been switched off since the incident, and efforts are underway to trace him.
The Modus Operandi
Exploiting Trust: Mukesh had been working at "Gas Point" for many years. This established history allowed him to move freely between the warehouse and customers' homes without raising suspicion from his employer or the public.
Refill" Pretext: He visited regular customers under the guise of official duty. Using the current LPG shortage as a backdrop, he convinced residents that he would take their empty cylinders immediately to ensure they received filled ones quickly.
Unauthorised Collection: He collected approximately 30 empty cylinders from various households. By spreading the thefts across different customers, he prevented any single person from raising an immediate alarm until he had already secured a large quantity.
Disappearing Act: Once he had a significant haul, he did not return to the Tulsiyana Industrial Estate warehouse. Instead, he switched off his mobile phone and vanished, effectively cutting off all communication before the agency owner realised anything was wrong.
