Graveyard raid in India uncovers hidden cooking gas canisters amid shortage

Reuters: Indian police this week seized 414 cooking‑gas canisters hidden in a graveyard in Hyderabad city and arrested those involved in trying to ​sell them on the black market amid shortages due to the ‌US-Israeli war on Iran, a government official said on Thursday.

Authorities have stepped up raids to curb hoarding of liquefied petroleum gas canisters after the US-Israeli war against Iran disrupted shipping, causing supply ​shortages.

India, the world’s number two Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) importer, meets about 60 per cent ​of its demand through overseas purchases, mostly from the Middle East.

“Just ⁠yesterday, around 2,600 raids were carried out and about 700 cylinders were ​seized,” Sujata Sharma, a senior official in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural ​Gas, told a regular briefing on the Middle East crisis.

“In addition, around 400 cylinders were recently found at one location inside a graveyard in Hyderabad. Ten people have been ​detained there, and the distributor involved has been suspended,” she said.

Police said ​the accused had been selling both commercial and domestic canisters from the graveyard at nearly ‌three ⁠times the current market price.

A commercial canister that costs about 2,100 Indian rupees ($22) had been sold for as much as 6,000 rupees. The total value of the seized canisters and some vehicles used by the accused was nearly ​2.2 million rupees, police ​said.

Reuters could ⁠not immediately contact the accused or their representatives.

“The supply of natural gas to domestic consumers is 100pc assured,” Sharma ​said. “With regard to LPG supply, prices have remained stable ​despite international ⁠volatility, and there has been no increase in the price of domestic LPG cylinders.“

To ease the pressure on LPG supplies, India has been promoting the use of ⁠alternatives ​such as kerosene, coal and biogas, while accelerating ​the roll out of piped natural gas for households.