In a significant case of corruption, four individuals, including Ajay Yadav, the district food officer of Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh, were arrested for allegedly diverting ₹1.5 crore (approximately $180,000 USD) worth of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from six seized trucks. The police had seized these trucks in December 2022 after detecting illegal refilling activities. Investigations revealed that the conspiracy to steal the LPG was planned even before the formal transfer of custody of the vehicles on March 30, 2023. Yadav and Pankaj Chandrakar, an operator at Gaurav Gas Agency, allegedly met to devise a scheme for siphoning off 92 metric tonnes of LPG. They coordinated with other accomplices to create forged documents and manipulate official records to conceal the theft. The scheme involved a financial arrangement of ₹80 lakh (approximately $96,000 USD) with Santosh Singh Thakur, the owner of Thakur Petrochemicals, who is currently absconding. The investigation is ongoing, with efforts to locate additional suspects.