Kuala lumpur: The Kuala Lumpur branch of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) crippled a syndicate involved in the illegal decanting of subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) following two raids in Wangsa Maju and Semenyih today.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Kuala Lumpur KPDN director Mohd Sabri Seman said eight people, aged between 30 and 40, were arrested during the operation, including a local man, two Indian nationals, and five Indonesians. The raids were conducted after two weeks of surveillance on the syndicate, believed to have been operating for about a month.

Mohd Sabri revealed that intelligence indicated the syndicate operated under the guise of a subsidised LPG supplier, transferring gas from 14-kilogramme (kg) subsidised cylinders into 50kg industrial cylinders for sale around the capital. The premises in Semenyih was specifically used for decanting activities. He noted that KPDN has identified the company's owner and has taken immediate action to revoke the outlet's LPG supplier licence.

The raids, involving personnel from Selangor KPDN and the 19th Battalion of the General Operations Force Central Brigade, led to the seizure of 570 subsidised LPG cylinders weighing 9,000kg. The total value of the seizure is estimated at RM185,000, with the government facing nearly RM20,000 in subsidy losses. The case is being investigated under the Control of Supplies Act 1961 and the Control of Supplies Regulations 1974.