Pune police have registered a case against three men after allegedly detecting an unauthorised domestic LPG refilling operation in Mundhwa village, where gas was being transferred from filled household cylinders into empty ones for sale. Police said the practice created a risk of leakage, fire and explosion for people living nearby.
The accused have been identified as Bhupendrapratap Sundar Singh, 38, Mankaram Sukhram Siyak, 39, and Mahendra Baburam Khichad, 19. According to the police information reported by Pudhari, the men had arranged the refilling operation for financial gain without permission from the relevant department.
The operation involved removing gas from filled domestic cylinders through a pipe and transferring it into empty cylinders. Police said the activity was being carried out without the required safety measures for handling LPG. The case concerns the unauthorised transfer and sale of household cooking gas, rather than an approved distribution process through licensed agencies.
Police received information about the activity at around 9.30 am on October 7. A subsequent inspection allegedly found gas being transferred from one cylinder to another without authorisation. The police said any leakage during such handling could have led to a fire or explosion, creating a direct safety concern for residents in the surrounding area.
The case was registered at Mundhwa police station on the complaint of police employee Ekta Baburao Salunkhe. Police Sub-Inspector Smita Vasnik is conducting the investigation. The report did not state whether an incident involving a fire, explosion or injury had occurred at the location.
The action also places attention on the safety risks created when LPG cylinders are handled outside the regulated supply chain. Household cylinders are designed to be stored, transported and supplied through authorised systems; transferring their contents without the required equipment, permission and safeguards can expose nearby homes and workers to hazardous leaks. The police report did not provide details of the quantity of gas recovered, the exact premises involved or the sections of law invoked.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Jivan Beniwal said police were monitoring reports of illegal gas refilling in the city and appealed to residents to inform the police immediately if they found unauthorised cylinder refilling. He also said a meeting of all gas dealers in the city would be held and necessary instructions issued. Those measures are the next stated steps in the city’s response to the Mundhwa case.
