Two arrested for illegal refilling of domestic gas cylinders in Ahmedabad

The Vadaj police on Wednesday arrested two men for illegally refilling domestic LPG cylinders in an open space in the Juna Vadaj area, an act that police said posed a serious risk to public safety.

The accused were caught during a patrol-based raid carried out on January 7 following a specific tip-off, police said. Acting on information, a team from Vadaj Police Station reached an open plot behind Sector-5 near Ramapir hill in Juna Vadaj, where the suspects were allegedly transferring gas from filled domestic cylinders into empty ones for personal financial gain.

The accused have been identified as Mayur Laxmanbhai Rawat (35), a resident of Ram Colony, Nava Vadaj, and Kanjibhai alias Balwant Alaabhai Parmar (48), a resident of Bharwad Vas, Nava Vadaj. Police said both were found using improvised pipes to refill cylinders without any safety equipment, endangering lives in the surrounding residential area.

During the raid, officers seized 23 domestic LPG cylinders, including sealed, broken-seal and partially refilled cylinders of an Indane distributor, along with two gas refilling pipes, a hand-held weighing scale, delivery slips, and a loading autorickshaw allegedly used for transporting the cylinders. The total value of the seized material is estimated at ₹93,280, police said.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were operating the illegal refilling activity in the open, without any authorisation and in violation of safety norms. Police said such practices could lead to major accidents, including fires and explosions, particularly in densely populated areas.

A case has been registered against the duo under Sections of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for negligent conduct with respect to combustible matter and related offences. Further investigation is under way to ascertain the source of the cylinders and whether others are involved in the racket.