Bhubaneswar, April 27: In a major crackdown on black marketing of LPG, police seized a gas-laden vehicle and arrested one person from the Chandrasekharpur police limits in the city on Monday.

Acting on specific inputs, police conducted a raid at Chunukoli slum under Chandrasekharpur area and intercepted illegal sale of cooking gas cylinders. The accused was allegedly selling LPG cylinders at an inflated price of ₹3,500 per unit in the black market.

During the operation, police seized a total of 19 cylinders along with a tempo. Of these, 11 were filled cylinders and 8 were empty. The accused had reportedly been evading checks by producing fake receipts of various gas agencies. However, he was caught red-handed while carrying out illegal transactions.

The arrested accused has been identified as Manoj Kumar Sahu. Police have initiated further investigation to trace possible links to a larger racket.

Recent Incidents Across Odisha

The incident comes amid intensified statewide action against illegal LPG trade:

In Cuttack, more than 200 LPG cylinders were seized from an unauthorized godown and two persons were detained, highlighting serious safety concerns over illegal storage and distribution.

In another major crackdown in Dhenkanal, officials seized 27 LPG cylinders during a raid on an illegal black marketing network operating near Sasan Chhak.

Authorities across Odisha have stepped up enforcement drives, with thousands of cylinders being seized in recent weeks as part of efforts to curb hoarding and ensure fair supply of cooking gas to consumers.