A gang of five was nabbed and industrial gas cylinders worth Rs 14 lakh was recovered from them.
According to the police, on December 27 last year, a truck carrying gas cylinders left Bangalore for Goa. Hardly did it reach the outskirts when the gang intercepted the vehicle and took the truck to Ramamurthy Nagar, where they offloaded the cylinders.
They released the driver and the cleaner at Chandapur, in Anekal taluk, after bashing them up and robbing them of Rs 6,000 and a cellphone. Later, they abandoned the truck at Hebbal.
The CCB staff, on a tip-off, caught five suspects and grilled them. Their names were given as Syed Akbar (23), of Bommanahalli; Afsar Pasha (24), of Haleguddadahalli; Chand Pasha (23), of Shamanna Park; Yasir Ahmed (19) and Syed Jameel (22), both from Shivaji Nagar. Upon interrogation, they confessed to the crime.
Two other suspects - Ramarao alias Babu and Sadiq - are said to be absconding. A search is on for them. The gang is said to have stolen cylinders belonging to Chennai-based Inox Air Products and UK-based firm a few months ago. It is learnt each empty gas cylinder, made up of high-quality steel, costs Rs 10,500, The gang used to sell it for Rs 2,000 per cylinder.
