Cylinder chors prowl posh residential areas

Diamond necklace, gold bracelets, wads of cash… LPG cylinders? Well, your list of ‘valuables’ for safe keeping needs updating as several residents of Somajiguda, Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills have been robbed of their gas cylinders and this despite keeping them chained in some cases.

The most recent theft took place at the home of Anju Poddar in Banjara Hills. Poddar’s spare cylinder kept next to her kitchen vanished overnight. “I’ve never faced this problem. Although we filed a police complaint, there has been no trace of the cylinder and to get a replacement from the gas company is a lengthy procedure. Now I’m forced to borrow a cylinder from people I know,” she says. Another Banjara Hills resident has lost three cylinders, despite keeping them chained to a pillar.

Sudha Jalan, a resident of Somajiguda was also a victim of theft. “I usually store a lot of things in the backyard, which is where the cylinder was kept before it was stolen. But this theft has put me on my guard and we now ensure that the main gate is kept shut at all times and have also appointed a security guard since we don’t want a repeat,” she says.
Although officials advise that people keep spare cylinders safely within the house, most people like to keep the clunky objects out of sight, in their backyards.
Anju Kabra, a homemaker living in Somajiguda, says, “I used to keep the empty cylinder near the corridor next to the kitchen since it was easy when it came to refuelling. Thankfully, I had a back up cylinder so I was able to manage.”
Malla Reddy, SHO, Punjagutta police station has received several such complaints and advises residents to file an FIR with the police, “Once we issue them a letter, they can show it to the gas agencies who can then supply them with replacement cylinders.

However, Mohammed Iqbal Siddiqui of Banjara Hills police station says, “Most of the people whose cylinders were stolen had the habit of storing them in their backyards, which are easily accessible to passersby. Residents should be more careful and should ensure that they are stored inside the house.”
Siddiqui believes the main reason for stealing the gas cylinders would be to resell them. He says, “We are also exploring the probability that there is a nexus between the transporters, who probably filch them to later sell these empty cylinders to commercial establishments to earn a few extra bucks. But we haven’t been able to establish anything as yet.”
Till then, treat your cylinder like jewellery.

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source:DC