There has been an increase in the number of LPG cylinder thefts in some of the cities across India due to their decreased availability; houses, including celebrity homes, have been attempted to steal from them. The case of a retired judge who has been robbed is one example.
Retired judge’s home targeted
Reports say that the lack of availability and overall panic among consumers has led to an increase in the value of LPG cylinders and turned them into easy theft targets. In addition, police have reported that in many cases, cylinders have been taken from residential buildings, commercial establishments and even secured locations.
In the most recent occurrence, thieves broke into the home of a retired judge in Bhopal in Lalghati area and stole four empty cylinders, which raises serious safety concerns. The authorities speculated that the perpetrators must have had some prior knowledge regarding the property or were tracking deliveries of cylinders, as most thefts of cylinders are done based on a predetermined plan.
Pattern seen across cities
Officials have received multiple reports of similar incidents across varied cities indicating that there may be a pattern developed by the continuous supply issues. In some cases, cylinders are being stolen from residences while families are away, while in other situations, thefts are occurring at either the early morning or late night hours.
Police investigations have found that stolen cylinders are being resold in black markets or reused illegally in some instances. Some recent incidents of panic buying related to the shortage of cylinders have caused worsening availability, and therefore increased the possibility of such crimes happening.
Police issue advisory
Therefore police have advised the public to stay vigilant and do not leave their gas cylinders in easily accessible or open areas. Any suspicious activity near gas storage areas or gas deliver points should be reported to authorities.
Meanwhile, police are searching for the networks responsible for cylinder thefts and are investigating whether or not there is an organised racket involved in the theft and redistribution of cylinders.
The recent cylinder shortages have been linked to multiple larger supply chain disruptions globally. The country has experienced delays in receiving and increased waiting times for delivery of cylinders, increasing public concern about availability.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
