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Chhattisgarh: District food officer among four held over LPG diversion from seized trucks
Police arrested four people, including a district food officer, for siphoning LPG worth about ₹1.5 crore from six seized trucks in Mahasamund district. The case outlines a conspiracy with forged documents and staged transactions, dating from March 2026 through early April 2026, leading to arrests in May 2026.
Why It Matters
The case involving alleged bureaucratic involvement and forged records underscores concerns about accountability and integrity in public service and fuel supply chains.
Timeline
16 Events
Arrests of four individuals; absconding others noted
May 9, 2026
Ajay Yadav, Pankaj Chandrakar, Manish Chaudhary and Nikhil Vaishnav were arrested. Santosh Thakur and Sarthak Thakur of Thakur Petrochemicals were reported as absconding.
Fabricated weighing documents submitted
April 8, 2026
Fabricated weighing documents were submitted to the collectorate, even before the actual weighing process was completed.
Security deposit returned
April 7, 2026
The ₹30 lakh security deposit was transferred back from Chaudhary to Thakur.
LPG diversion payments between parties
April 7, 2026
Thakur paid ₹30 lakh to Chaudhary; Chaudhary retained ₹10 lakh and passed ₹20 lakh to Chandrakar as part of the scheme.
Fabricated weighing documents prepared
April 6, 2026
Fabricated weighing documents were prepared to conceal the diversion of LPG.
LPG siphoning period noted
April 2026
Investigators noted that LPG was siphoned off gradually from the shifted trucks over a week.
Digital security deposit transfer
March 31, 2026
A ₹30 lakh security deposit was transferred digitally from Thakur's account to Manish Chaudhary as security for the deal.
Initial cash share to Ajay Yadav
March 31, 2026
The largest share of ₹50 lakh was delivered to Ajay Yadav on March 31, a day after custody was handed over.
Trucks shifted to Thakur Petrochemicals
March 31, 2026
The six LPG-loaded trucks were shifted from Singhoda police station to Thakur Petrochemicals in the Abhanpur area of neighboring Raipur district.
Custody transfer of trucks
March 30, 2026
Custody of the six LPG-loaded trucks was handed over to Santosh Singh Thakur, owner of Thakur Petrochemicals, in the presence of food inspectors and other officials.
Deal finalised for diversion of LPG
March 26, 2026
The deal for diverting the LPG was settled at ₹80 lakh with the owner of Thakur Petrochemicals, Santosh Thakur.
Night meeting to finalise the deal
March 26, 2026
That night, the three accused held a meeting with a gas agency operator to finalise the deal for diverting the LPG.
Visit to assess LPG quantity at Singhoda station
March 26, 2026
Yadav and Chandrakar visited Singhoda police station to assess the quantity of LPG stored in the six capsule trucks, estimating around 105 metric tonnes.
Planning meeting for embezzlement
March 23, 2026
Ajay Yadav and Pankaj Chandrakar allegedly met to plan the embezzlement, estimating illegal gains of nearly ₹1 crore. Chandrakar was to identify buyers and coordinate the operation; Manish Chaudhary was to contact gas agencies in Raipur.
Police request to shift seized trucks for safety
March 2026
Police wrote to the district administration to shift the seized trucks to a safer location due to inadequate safety arrangements during peak summer season.
Seizure of LPG-loaded capsule trucks
December 2025
Six LPG-loaded capsule trucks were seized by police in the Singhoda police station area after illegal refilling of cylinders was detected.