In a major breakthrough, the Mahasamund police have arrested the absconding owner and director of Thakur Petrochemicals from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, in connection with the ₹1.5 crore LPG scam. The accused, identified as Santosh Singh Thakur and his son Sarthak Singh Thakur, had been evading arrest for over a month by frequently changing locations and shifting SIM cards.

A local court has remanded the duo to police custody after they were brought back to Chhattisgarh on a transit warrant. Investigating officials confirmed that the latest arrests bring the total number of individuals held in the case to six, with more high-profile arrests expected as the investigation reaches its final stages.

Multi-State Police Hunt Ends in Kolhapur

The father-son duo had managed to stay ahead of law enforcement by moving across multiple states. According to local police, tracking the fugitives required extensive technical surveillance. Cyber cells analyzed tower dump data across 11 cities, scrutinized call detail records (CDRs), and tracked vehicle movements at toll plazas and financial transactions.

Based on a definitive digital trail, four dedicated police teams were dispatched to different states. The breakthrough came when a team located and arrested the suspects from a hotel room in Kolhapur.

Suspended Food Officer Masterminded the Plot

The investigation reveals a deep-rooted nexus involving bureaucrats and local businessmen. Police sources stated that the entire operation was masterminded by the suspended Mahasamund District Food Officer, Ajay Yadav. Investigations indicate that Yadav utilized his official position to orchestrate the diversion of seized government property.

Pankaj Chandrakar, a local gas agency operator and political worker, allegedly acted as the primary coordinator, establishing links with buyers. Another businessman, Manish Choudhary, served as the mediator to negotiate financial terms between the various parties involved.

Seized Gas Disposed of via Fake Documents

The origin of the scam dates back to an enforcement action in the Singhoda police station area, where the Saraypali Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) caught six capsule trucks red-handed while gas was being pilfered from them. For safety reasons, the tankers were initially parked inside the Singhoda police station premises.

Subsequently, the administration handed over the safe custody of these tankers to the Food Department. Investigators revealed that Ajay Yadav used this opportunity to transfer the responsibility of securing the gas capsules to Thakur Petrochemicals’ facility in Urla, Abhanpur. Once the tankers reached the private facility, approximately 92 metric tonnes of LPG was illegally offloaded and sold in the open market using forged documents and cash memos to evade GST.

Financial Footprints and Profit Distribution

The police have established a clear paper trail regarding the illicit transactions, which total around ₹80 lakh out of an estimated market value of ₹1.5 crore. The initial demand by the perpetrators was ₹1.30 crore, but the deal was eventually struck at ₹90 lakh after week-long negotiations.

"The distribution of the scam proceeds was highly organized," an official privy to the probe stated. "Out of the collected amount, suspended officer Ajay Yadav received a lion's share of ₹50 lakh. Agency operator Pankaj Chandrakar took ₹20 lakh, while mediator Manish Choudhary received ₹10 lakh."

Further disclosures indicated that the physical exchange of cash took place at Chandrakar’s factory, 'Aastha Trolley', located in Paraswani village. Investigators are also looking into claims that certain food department officials accompanied Chandrakar in private vehicles during the execution of the logistics.

Facing Severe Criminal Charges

To give the illegal offloading a semblance of legitimacy, the accused prepared a fraudulent panchnama (site memo) at the Food Department office, naming co-conspirators as independent witnesses.

The Mahasamund police have registered a case under multiple stringent sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, forgery, black marketing, and misappropriation of government property. The police are now planning a joint interrogation, confronting the freshly arrested owners of Thakur Petrochemicals with the already detained mastermind Ajay Yadav, manager Nikhil Vaishnav, and other intermediaries to unearth the full extent of the institutional fraud.

Mahasamund LPG Scam: Food Officials and Gas Agency Operator Arrested

In a major breakthrough in the LPG gas diversion case, Chhattisgarh police have arrested three key accused, including two senior food department officials and the operator of a gas agency linked to a political family. The arrests relate to the alleged theft and illegal sale of around 90 metric tonnes of LPG worth over ₹1.5 crore.

The development comes months after police seized six gas-laden capsule tankers in December 2025 for want of valid documents. The vehicles were later handed over for safekeeping to a private petrochemical firm, from where the gas was allegedly siphoned off.

Planned Handover of Tankers

According to police sources, District Food Officer Ajay Yadav, Assistant Food Officer Manish Yadav, and Pankaj Chandrakar, operator of Gaurav Gas Agency in Mahasamund, conspired to divert the LPG. The tankers were moved to Thakur Petrochemicals at Urla in Abhanpur, around 200 km from the seizure site. 

Officials said the handover took place on March 30, 2026, in the presence of food inspectors. The company’s owners, Santosh Singh Thakur and Sarthak Thakur, took custody of the vehicles but allegedly never intended to keep them secure.

Gas Siphoned Off in Days

Investigators found that despite multiple weighbridges on the route, the tankers were not weighed immediately after handover. The vehicles were parked outside the plant, and the gas was gradually transferred into bullet tanks and private tankers over eight days in early April. 

A portion of the diverted LPG, estimated at 4-6 tonnes per consignment, was sold to various agencies in Raipur on mere kachcha challans without proper invoices. Records later showed massive discrepancies — the firm had reportedly shown sales of 107 tonnes in April while purchasing only 47 tonnes legally.

Political Link Under Scanner

Pankaj Chandrakar, one of the arrested persons, is the son-in-law of Dhananjay Chandrakar, brother of former state minister Poonam Chandrakar. The agency he operates has now come under scrutiny in the larger probe. 

Police confirmed that while the two food officials and the agency operator are in custody, the main accused — Santosh Thakur and Sarthak Thakur — are absconding. Teams are conducting raids at possible hideouts.

Earlier Staff Arrest and Evidence Tampering

Earlier, police had arrested Nikhil Vaishnav, an employee of Thakur Petrochemicals. During searches, authorities seized seven LPG tankers, four bullet tanks, around 100 gas cylinders, computers, DVRs, and several documents.

Investigators also discovered attempts to destroy evidence. The April register recording cash transactions and vehicle movements reportedly went missing from the plant office. Experts ruled out significant leakage from the sealed capsules, confirming deliberate diversion.

Public Concern Over Safety and Regulation

The episode has raised serious questions about the handling of hazardous materials and oversight by regulatory departments. LPG being a subsidized and sensitive commodity, any large-scale diversion impacts both the exchequer and consumer supply chains. 

local residents in Mahasamund and surrounding areas expressed concern over the safety risks posed by improper storage and movement of such large volumes of gas. Many wondered how tankers meant to be secured could remain unmonitored for days.

Authorities have assured that a thorough probe is underway and more arrests are likely. The case has been registered under relevant sections of the IPC and other acts related to theft, criminal conspiracy, and tampering with evidence. 

Further investigation is expected to reveal the full network involved in the illegal sale of the diverted LPG. Police said they are examining financial trails and possible beneficiaries beyond the primary accused. 

Rs 1.5-Crore LPG Heist in Mahasamund: 90 MT Gas Stolen After Seizure; FIR Lodged

Police have booked the owner and director of Thakur Petrochemicals for allegedly siphoning off 90 metric tonnes of seized LPG gas and selling it illegally.

In a massive scandal involving the misappropriation of government-seized property, the Mahasamund police have unearthed an LPG theft racket worth an estimated Rs 1.5 crore. The case involves the owner and director of Thakur Petrochemicals, who allegedly emptied six seized gas capsules—originally handed over to them for safe custody—and sold the fuel in the black market through domestic and commercial cylinders.

The fraud came to light after the accused attempted to mislead the district administration by claiming the gas had "leaked" from the containers. However, a technical investigation revealed a calculated heist, leading to the registration of an FIR at Singhoda police station.

Seizure of 90 MT LPG

The matter dates back to December 2025, when Singhoda police intercepted six LPG gas capsules. Due to a lack of valid legal documentation, the vehicles, carrying a combined load of 90 metric tonnes of LPG, were impounded. Concerned about the safety hazard of parked gas tankers inside the police station premises, the police moved the District Collector to shift the vehicles to a secure facility.

Following the Collector’s directive, the Food Department contacted Santosh Singh Thakur, owner of Thakur Petrochemicals. On March 30, 2026, the six tankers were officially handed over to the company for safekeeping at its plant in Urla, Abhanpur, located roughly 200 kilometers from the police station.

Elaborate Siphoning Operation

Sources familiar with the matter said the company management exploited a critical lapse: the tankers were not weighed at the time of handover. Taking advantage of this, Santosh Singh Thakur and Director Sakin Thakur allegedly moved the trucks to their plant but delayed official weighing for over a week.

Between April 6 and April 8, while the tankers were parked near the plant, the gas was systematically transferred into the company’s bullet tanks. "When their storage reached capacity, they reportedly filled the remaining gas into private tankers and cylinders, selling it to various agencies in Raipur using 'kaccha' (unofficial) bills," an official involved in the probe confirmed.

Technical Experts Debunk Leakage

To cover their tracks, the accused reported to the administration that the LPG had leaked out. However, the police roped in national-level experts to verify the claim. The investigation concluded that it is physically impossible for 20 tonnes of gas to leak from a single capsule over three months without causing a major explosion or fire. The experts noted that the capsules were structurally sound, pointing directly to manual extraction.

Financial Discrepancies Surface

The paper trail further nailed the suspects. A three-day audit of company records revealed that in April, Thakur Petrochemicals officially purchased only 47 tonnes of LPG but recorded sales of 107 tonnes. "The math didn't add up. They were selling nearly 60 tonnes of gas that never existed on their purchase registers," said a senior police officer. Investigators also found that the "unofficial" registers for April had been destroyed or hidden to vanish the evidence of illegal transactions.

Raids and Arrests

Mahasamund police have since conducted raids at the facility, seizing seven LPG tankers, four large bullet tanks, 100 cylinders, and digital evidence including DVRs and computers. While the main accused, Santosh Singh Thakur and the director, remain at large, the police have arrested one staff member, identified as Nikhil Vaishnav (41).

Teams have been dispatched to track down the fleeing management. The police are also looking into the role of the agencies that purchased the stolen gas without valid invoices.