Pimpri Chinchwad Police Crack Down on Illegal Gas Refilling, Case Registered Against Three

Punawale, 31st May 2024: Action has been taken against three individuals for illegal gas refilling by the Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissionerate (PCPC). This incident occurred on Thursday (30th May) in Punawale, resulting in a case being registered against the landowner as well.

Police Constable Sunil Shirsath from AHTU filed a complaint at Ravet Police Station, leading to the registration of a case against site workers Mohammed Maqbool Shaikh (19), a resident of Punawale and native of Sitamarhi, Bihar, site worker Jasim Aasim Shaikh, also a resident of Punawale and native of Sitamarhi, Bihar, and landowner Hanumant Ranawade, a resident of Punawale.

According to police reports, the accused site workers were involved in illegal gas refilling without any safety precautions. Gas was transferred from a large cylinder to several smaller ones without regard for safety measures, deceiving both customers and authorities. Illegal gas refilling poses severe risks, including leaks, explosions, and fires, endangering lives, property, and the environment. Following a similar incident in Tathawade last year, where multiple buses of JSPM College were damaged, PCPC officials are vigilant in investigating such cases.

Ravet police have registered a case against the accused under IPC Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 285 (negligent conduct concerning fire or combustible matter), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), along with relevant sections of the Essential Commodities Act of 1955 and the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Regulation of Supply and Distribution) Order of 2000. Police Constable Kolge from Ravet Police Station is further investigating this matter.