UP: Gas agency owner booked for illegally storing LPG cylinders, attempting black market sale

Lucknow: An FIR has been lodged against several persons in Lucknow, including a gas agency proprietor and manager, for allegedly illegally storing domestic LPG cylinders and attempting to black market them, officials said on Sunday.

According to officials, the case has been registered at the Kakori police station in Lucknow under relevant sections of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, following a raid conducted by the district supply department.

Acting on a tip-off received on March 14, a joint team led by the District Supply Officer raided the premises of Abhinandan Resort located off Mohan Road in the Kakori area, officials said.

During the raid, authorities found a pickup truck parked in the resort compound carrying LPG cylinders. Officials recovered 65 empty domestic LPG cylinders of 14.2 kg capacity, nine filled cylinders of the same capacity and 14 empty cylinders of 6 kg capacity from the vehicle.

Officials said the cylinders were allegedly stored at the resort premises without authorisation and without valid refill vouchers or related documents.

Those named in the FIR include Jameel Ahmad, Sahil, Munna alias Iktida Husain (manager of Aseem Bharat Gas agency), Surendra Kumar (owner of Abhinandan Resort) and Manju Kanojia, the proprietor of the gas agency.

During questioning, one of the persons present at the site told officials that the vehicle had been brought to the resort to transport cylinders to a new godown in Ibrahimganj village, officials said.

The team also inspected the agency's godown in Alambagh but found it locked, making it impossible to verify the available stock at the time of inspection, they added.

Authorities further found a truck carrying 360 domestic LPG cylinders from a bottling plant parked in a nearby field, allegedly awaiting unloading without supervision by agency staff.

Officials mentioned that the cylinders were seized and handed over to a gas agency operator for safe custody, to be produced before the competent authority or court when required.

The accused allegedly stored the cylinders at an unauthorised location with the intention of illegal trade and black marketing, which violates provisions of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Regulation of Supply and Distribution) Order, 2000, officials said.