Jhansi police solved the theft of a truck carrying LPG cylinders and recovered all 524 cylinders during a joint operation by Sipri Bazar police and the SOG team. Seven people, including a gas agency owner, were arrested. The accused, including two former drivers of the truck owner, had sold the cylinders to an agency in Samthar.
Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi have cracked a major theft case involving a truck loaded with LPG gas cylinders. The Sipri Bazar police station team, along with the Special Operations Group (SOG), carried out a joint operation and recovered all 524 cylinders that were stolen earlier this month. During the operation, police arrested seven people, including a gas agency owner. More than Rs 11 lakh in cash was also seized from the accused.
Theft planned by former drivers
According to police, the main accused are Javed and Ritik. Both had earlier worked as drivers for truck owner Neeraj Agarwal. After they lost their jobs, they claimed that their wages of about Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 were still unpaid, according to a report by Aaj Tak. Police said the two men planned the theft to recover their money.
Between 2 March and 6 March, they and their associates allegedly stole the truck from outside a gas plant in Jhansi. After stealing the cylinders, they abandoned the empty truck on the Jhansi-Kanpur highway.
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Cylinders sold to gas agency in Samthar
Police investigations revealed that the accused later sold the stolen cylinders to a gas agency in Samthar, about 70 kilometres away from Jhansi.
The deal was reportedly fixed at Rs 13 lakh with the owner of Shiv Gas Agency. During the investigation, police arrested three more people linked to the agency, Shubhankar, Abhishek and Surendra.
Officials said 379 of the recovered cylinders were filled with gas while 135 were empty.
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Cash and weapons recovered
Police recovered Rs 11.10 lakh in cash from the accused. Investigators said the stolen cylinders had been sold for cash, and some money was also earned by selling gas taken out from a few cylinders.
Along with the cash, police also seized ₹83,000 that the accused had earned by selling the gas separately. A country-made pistol, cartridges and the motorcycle used during the crime were also recovered.
Security tightened at police station
Because a large number of gas-filled cylinders have been recovered, police are taking extra safety steps. All the cylinders are currently kept at the police station under constant watch. Officers are guarding them round the clock to avoid any accident.
As an additional safety measure, a fire brigade vehicle has also been stationed outside the police station in case of any fire risk.
Senior police officials praised the team for solving the case quickly. The Jhansi Senior Superintendent of Police announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for the officers involved in the successful operation.
Police said further legal action against the accused is now underway.