seven-held-as-police-recover-524-stolen-lpg-cylinders-in-jhansi

Police in Jhansi have arrested seven men and recovered more than 500 LPG cylinders stolen during the Holi festivities, officials said on Wednesday.

Senior Superintendent of Police B B G T S Murthy said the accused were apprehended early Wednesday near a gas warehouse on the Gwalior Road following a tip-off.

 

The arrested men were identified as Javed, Aamir, Ritik, Sumit, Shubhankar, Abhishek and Surendra, all residents of Jhansi.

 

Police also recovered ₹11.10 lakh in cash and ₹83,820 believed to be proceeds from the sale of the stolen cylinders.

 

According to investigators, the case came to light after a truck loaded with 524 filled LPG cylinders went missing earlier this month.

 

The vehicle’s driver, Rajkumar, had parked the truck outside a depot of Bharat Petroleum in the Sipri Bazar area on 2 March before leaving for his home to celebrate Holi.

 

Also read: IRCTC urges caterers to use induction, microwave amid LPG crisis

 

When he returned on 6 March, the truck had disappeared. The vehicle’s owner, Neeraj Agrawal, subsequently lodged a police complaint.

 

Police later found the truck abandoned in the Baragaon area with its GPS device damaged. Multiple police teams were formed to trace the stolen cylinders.

During interrogation, investigators learnt that Javed and Ritik, former truck drivers associated with the gas plant, had allegedly hatched the plan to steal the consignment.

 

Police said the accused had struck a deal worth ₹13 lakh with a gas agency in Samthar to sell the stolen cylinders.

 

Acting on information provided by the arrested men, police recovered all 524 cylinders from the agency, including 389 filled cylinders and 135 empty ones.

 

Officials said the probe has also revealed a monetary dispute of around ₹60,000–70,000 between the accused and the truck owner, which is being examined as part of the investigation.

 

Police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Arms Act and the Motor Vehicles Act. All seven accused have been sent to jail while further investigation is underway.