Agency workers caught pilfering LPG by tampering with gas cylinders

MARGAOrAttention, LPG consumers. Did you ever suspect receiving gas cylinders lighter than the prescribed weight of 14.2 kg delivered at your doorstep by the delivery man employed by the gas agencies? rYour suspicions may not be entirely misplaced, as alert residents on Thursday morning allegedly caught red-handed unscrupulous employees of a Margao-based gas agency at Benaulim while in the process of pilfering LPG gas by transferring the gas from a sealed cylinder to an empty cylinder with a device after tampering with the seal. rColva police later seized the gas cylinders numbering 60 and also arrested the employees before handing the cylinders and the employees to the department of Civil Supplies for further investigations. rThe incident occurred on Thursday morning when a resident of Seraulim near the LPG gas carrying pick-up van at Pedda-Benaulim stopped after he suspected leakage of LPG fuel. When he moved further to the pick-up van further to have closer look, he found to his shock and surprise that the employees were in the process of illegally transferring gas from a sealed cylinder into an empty cylinder in blatant violation of the law. rWhile one of the employees, believed to be the security personnel, made good his escape, locals caught the remaining two employees, including the driver and loader. They seized from their possession a gadget that was used to transfer the gas from a sealed cylinder to an empty one. rLocal activist Roque Fernandes demanded stern action against the gas agency and the employees, pointing out that consumers would often experience underweight LPG cylinders in recent times. Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao also rushed to the spot and demanded that the authorities initiate stern action against the erring employees. rColva Police station in-charge, PI Filomena Costa informed after the police seized the 60 cylinders and other equipment, they were later handed over to the Civil Supplies Department officials for further investigations. r“We have recorded the statements of the three employees before they were handed over to the Civil Supplies officials,” PI Costa said, adding that the police will register a FIR only in receipt of a formal complaint by the department of Civil Supplies. Officials of Hindustan Petroleum also came to the police station to conduct their own investigations. rThe police provided the names of the three employees as driver Rajmukar Mili, loader Laxman Siddapa and Kamal Chavan. It is suspected that the erring employees used to sell the pilfered gas to establishments at a premium. rThe owner of Damodar Gas service, Margao Jayesh Majithia, who rushed to Benaulim, told the media that he would initiate action against the employees and will be terminated from service. “I had no idea that the employees were involved in the criminal transferring of the LPG gas. I had learnt from the social media that people were complaining of tampering with the gas, but I had no idea that our very staff is involved in such activities,” Jayesh said.