Amidst a nationwide shortage of cooking gas, Hapur district in Uttar Pradesh has witnessed a major case of LPG black-marketing. In a special police operation conducted under the cover of darkness, authorities raided the residence of local Samajwadi Party leader Abdul Rahman, seizing 55 filled LPG cylinders along with several empty ones.

As the global fuel supply crisis has left common citizens struggling to secure refills, the discovery of such large-scale hoarding has sparked widespread public outrage. Police sources confirmed that the seized items were subsidized domestic cylinders, which individuals are not permitted to store in such quantities. It is suspected that the hoard was intended for illegal sale at inflated prices to capitalize on the ongoing supply crunch.

Although Abdul Rahman was not home during the raid, his family members are currently being questioned. The police have seized the cylinders and registered an FIR under the Essential Commodities Act. The incident has triggered a sharp political confrontation, with BJP spokespersons accusing the opposition of manufacturing crises and profiting from the public’s distress.