Law against gas hoarders

The law has been strictly enforced against a Kandy-area merchant who misled customers by hoarding gas stocks for sale and claiming he had no gas. The Kandy Magistrate's Court, which imposed a fine on the merchant for this fraudulent act, also ordered the confiscation of all 28 Litro gas cylinders, each weighing 12.5 kg, that he had hidden.

The incident involved a Litro Gas sales agency located on Kotugodella Street, Kandy. Taking into account continuous complaints received from customers regarding this establishment, investigation officers from the Kandy District of the Consumer Affairs Authority launched a special raid on October 29, 2026.

Officers had adopted a subtle method for this raid. Accordingly, an investigation officer from the Consumer Affairs Authority was deployed as a decoy to the said establishment. The decoy, upon arriving there, requested to purchase a 12.5 kg Litro gas cylinder from the merchant. However, the merchant responded by stating that he did not have any gas cylinder stocks in his possession.

Immediately following the merchant's statement, the investigation officers sprang into action and subjected the establishment to a thorough inspection. There, they were able to confirm that the merchant's statement was false and discovered all 28 Litro gas cylinders, each weighing 12.5 kg, that had been hidden and not offered for sale to customers. The investigation officers immediately took custody of the gas cylinder stock as evidence and proceeded to report the facts against the merchant to the Kandy Magistrate's Court.

Subsequently, the Kandy Magistrate's Court took up the relevant case for hearing and, taking a firm decision against this illegal trading practice, imposed a penalty on the merchant and also ordered the confiscation of all 28 Litro gas cylinders presented as evidence.

The Consumer Affairs Authority further requests the public to report any information regarding merchants who hoard goods in their shops and claim they are unavailable, or any other violations of consumer laws, by calling the short code 1977 during office hours.