Dharmanagar Police bust illegal Gas Cylinder racket; Seize 60 Cylinders in daring raid

In a decisive strike against black-marketing, Dharmanagar police carried out a daring raid across multiple locations in the town, recovering 60 illegal cooking gas cylinders and exposing what appears to be a well-organized racket. The operation has triggered widespread shock and debate across the subdivision.

Acting on secret intelligence and a string of public complaints, police launched a coordinated search on Friday. The crackdown led to seizures from three hotspots: 18 cylinders from Azam Khan’s shop near Tripureshwari Gas in Purba Bazar, 27 cylinders from Arjun Pal’s residence at Madhubari Link Road in Radhapur, and 15 cylinders from Salma Begum’s house in Ragna area. Of the total, 26 cylinders were filled and 34 empty, but none had valid documentation.

Dharmanagar Police Station OC Mina Debbarma confirmed that all cylinders have been confiscated and will be handed over to the Food Department for further investigation. Preliminary findings suggest the involvement of a larger black-market network, with police probing whether the cylinders were stolen or procured through other illegal means.

The raid has brought relief to residents who had long complained of rampant cylinder theft and black-market sales. Yet, the discovery of such a large cache within the town has raised troubling questions about how deeply entrenched the racket is and whether more players remain at large.

Authorities have assured that strict legal action will follow once the Food Department submits its report.