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4 min readRaipurMay 11, 2026 06:30 AM IST
Police alleged that gas was stolen between March 30 and April 5. On April 6 and April 8, the tankers were taken for weighing at the Mahasamund food officer’s office.
At a time when the conflict in West Asia has made cooking gas hard to come by for many, a racket in Chhattisgarh has been siphoning off over 90 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), worth around Rs 1.5 crore, from tanker trucks and selling it in the black market, Mahasamund district police have found.
The sequence of events dates back to December 2025, when police in Mahasamund’s Singhora area seized six LPG tankers that were stationed in a jungle area by a gang that was allegedly stealing gas from them. Additional SP Pratibha Pandey said a team of officials had spotted the trucks and alerted police, after which an FIR was filed, and the tankers were seized and kept in police custody till March.
However, due to the rising summer heat in March and a lack of adequate safety arrangements, police requested the District Collector to take custody of the tankers. According to officials, the tankers were handed over to the food department on March 30 and eventually came into the custody of one of the accused, who runs an LPG distribution company based in the state capital, Raipur. It has been alleged that the weight of LPG in the tankers was not checked before they were entrusted to the company. After the handover, the tankers were taken to premises owned by the distribution company at Urla village in Raipur.
The theft came to light in April when the original transporters of the tankers reached the Singhora police station to take the trucks back.
Police alleged that gas was stolen between March 30 and April 5. On April 6 and April 8, the tankers were taken for weighing at the Mahasamund food officer’s office.
The theft came to light in April when the original transporters of the tankers reached the Singhora police station to take the trucks back. They checked the tankers and realised gas had been stolen and complained to police.
The sequence of events dates back to December 2025, when police in Mahasamund’s Singhora area seized six LPG tankers that were stationed in a jungle area by a gang that was allegedly stealing gas from them.
Police said they confirmed the theft based on a GPS device installed in the tankers, which showed that they were taken inside the accused’s plant. Further, the sale receipts of the accused’s distribution company showed that only 47 tonnes of LPG was purchased in April, and there was zero opening stock. However, 107 tonnes of gas was sold.
Mahasamund district Superintendent of Police Prabhat Kumar said, “The main accused are food department officer Ajay Yadav, the gas dealer Pankaj Chandrakar and their aide in Raipur, Manish Chaudhary, and Santosh Thakur (the owner of the distribution company).” Yadav, Chandrakar, and Chaudhary have been arrested so far.
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As per police, the food department officer and the gas agency owner allegedly ensured that Thakur got custody of the tankers, after which they roped in Chaudhary to get in touch with gas agencies across Raipur to arrange the sale of the stolen LPG.
At least eight gas agencies, which allegedly bought the gas illegally, are now under the scanner. The accused had claimed that the gas leaked from the tankers, but a technical team denied any leakage, said police.
Jayprakash S Naidu is a Principal Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently serving as the state correspondent for Chhattisgarh. With an extensive career in frontline journalism, he reports on the political, security, and humanitarian landscape of Central India. Expertise and Experience Specialized Conflict Reporting: Jayprakash is a leading voice on the Maoist/Naxalite conflict in the Bastar region. His reporting provides a critical, ground-level view of: Internal Security: Tracking high-stakes encounters, surrender programs for senior Maoist leaders, and the establishment of security camps in formerly inaccessible "heartland" villages. Tribal Rights & Displacement: Investigative reporting on the identity and land struggles of thousands of displaced tribals fleeing conflict zones for neighboring states. Governance & Bureaucratic Analysis: He consistently monitors the evolution of Chhattisgarh as it marks 25 years of statehood, covering: Electoral Politics: Analyzing the shift in power between the BJP and Congress and the impact of regional tribal movements. Public Policy: Reporting on landmark infrastructure projects (e.g., mobile connectivity in remote zones) and judicial interventions, such as High Court rulings on civil and family law. Diverse Investigative Background: Prior to his current focus on Chhattisgarh, Jayprakash held reported from Maharashtra, where he specialized in: Crisis & Disaster Management: Notable for his extensive coverage of the Cyclone Tauktae barge tragedy (P-305) and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on frontline personnel. Legal & Human Rights: Investigative pieces for platforms like Article-14, focusing on police accountability and custodial deaths across India. Environmental & Social Justice: Authoritative reporting on the Hasdeo Aranya forest protests and the approval of major tiger reserves, highlighting the tension between industrial mining and environmental preservation. ... Read More
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