PAMPORE: Police on Tuesday arrested seven persons and seized six LPG tankers and another load carrier vehicle from their possession after they were found to be involved in illegal trade of the non-renewable fuel in Pampore area if south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
A police statement said that drivers of the six seized gas tankers- Vijay Singh, a resident of Kathua and Nasir Ahmad, Mohammad Ramzan Bhat, Mohammad Rafiq Sheikh, Chamail Singh and Prem Singh all residents of District Rajouri were arrested after they were found selling the fuel to private parties in Literabal area of Pampore town from their tankers bearing numbers HR55AB-3696,HR55U-5698,PBO3A-3399,RJ14GF-9500,HR46D-3222 and NLO1K-7135.
The tankers that used to enter valley from outside were supposed to dump the fuel at Gas Bottling Plant Pampore, but the drivers would instead illegally sell a quantity of it to the private gas dealers, a police statement read.
Besides the tanker drivers, driver of a Tata Mobile bearing registration number JK02AG-0388, Ishfaq Ahmad Dar, a resident of Lethpora was also held along with the vehicle which was laden with 22 cooking gas cylinders which were being refilled by these gas tankers, police said.
The arrested persons have been booked under relevant sections of law at Police Station Pampore even as further investigation into the case is going on.

BILAL HABIB