Gas cylinder, secured with chains, stolen from watchman's home in Madhya Pradesh

A masked man allegedly pushed a woman and fled with an LPG cylinder from a watchman's quarters in Indore, leaving residents shaken and forcing neighbours to chain their cylinders inside their homes.

In Short

• Thief entered kitchen after pushing resident, took cylinder and fled
• Neighbours began chaining their cylinders following the theft incident
• Affected families are labourers working as watchmen, living in servant quarters

A quiet afternoon at a watchman’s quarters in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore turned into a shocking episode when a masked man allegedly pushed a woman aside and walked away with a gas cylinder from her kitchen, even though it had been secured with chains, leaving residents shaken and scrambling to chain their own cylinders for safety.

The unusual theft has unfolded in the Khajrana police station area of Indore, where two labourer couples work as watchmen and live in servant quarters in the Velvet Garden locality. For families already living cautiously, the fear of losing something as essential as a cooking gas cylinder had forced them to secure the cylinders with iron chains and locks inside their homes.

But even that was not enough.

A STRANGER AT THE DOOR

Manju Bai, one of the residents, recalls the moment a stranger appeared at her doorstep. It was during a period when people were standing in long queues outside LPG agencies to get cylinders.

According to her, a young man arrived with his face covered with a cloth and asked to speak to her husband, calling him by name.

“He came to the house and said he wanted to talk to my husband,” Manju Bai said. “But I did not give him any information.”

Moments later, the situation took a sudden turn.

When she refused to engage with him, the man allegedly pushed her and moved towards the kitchen area. Within seconds, he grabbed the LPG cylinder kept inside and fled from the house before she could react.

For Manju Bai, the incident unfolded so quickly that there was little she could do but watch the man disappear with the cylinder.

FEAR SPREADS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Word of the theft travelled quickly among the residents of the quarters. If a cylinder could be taken from inside a house despite being secured, others feared their homes could be next.

A neighbour, Maya Bai, said the incident forced her to take immediate precautions.

After seeing what had happened at Manju Bai’s house, she tied the gas cylinder in her own home with iron chains.

Manju Bai too secured another cylinder kept in her house with a chain and lock.

The sight of cylinders bound with heavy chains inside small kitchens now tells the story of the anxiety that has gripped the residents.

LIVES BUILT AROUND WATCHMAN’S WORK

The families living in the quarters are originally from Khargone district and had come to Indore in search of work. They are employed as watchmen in the Velvet Garden area under the Khajrana police station limits and stay in servant quarters provided at the site.

For them, the gas cylinder is not just another household item but a necessity tied to their daily survival.

The incident has therefore left the families deeply unsettled.

Despite the dramatic theft, Manju Bai has not filed a police complaint about the stolen cylinder. Instead, residents say they have chosen to rely on stronger precautions at home.

- Ends