Coimbatore: The civil supplies-CID police have intensified vigilance against hoarding of commercial liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders in the district and their sale at inflated prices on the black market to create artificial demand.The civil supplies-CID police also have begun investigating and collecting details of agencies suspected of hoarding commercial LPG cylinders to create fake demand, and questioning the customers who purchased the same on the black market for Rs6,000 to Rs7,000. According to an official source, they have inspected 70 authorized commercial LPG cylinder distributors in Coimbatore and Pollachi to verify stock, and checked LPG supplies at 76,995 labour locations and 243 establishments to ensure there was no shortage of cylinders for workers. Under the supervision of R Srinivasa Perumal, superintendent of police, civil supplies-CID teams from Coimbatore and Pollachi units had conducted a series of raids from March 1 to April 15, and registered 18 cases and arrested 30 individuals involved in the illegal commercial LPG cylinder trade. A senior civil supplies-CID officer said the Coimbatore unit had in March arrested Karthikeyan, 32, proprietor of Shanthi Energies, along with three associates, including agents from Vijayamangalam and Karur, for possession of 997 commercial cylinders without valid documentation. Six vehicles were also impounded. In the past month, continuous raids and search operations were carried out across Coimbatore range to prevent black market sales and hoarding of commercial LPG cylinders, resulting in the seizure of 1,730 commercial LPG cylinders and 14 vehicles used for illegal trade. Authorities have urged the public to report any suspicious storage of commercial LPG cylinders or overpricing. Informants could contact the DSP of Coimbatore range at 7010970851 or the Pollachi inspector at 9498104646. Officials said the identity of informers would be kept confidential.
