Hyderabad: Six Diesel Thieves Who Created Panic Among Truck Drivers on Highways Arrested

Hyderabad: Special teams of Nalgonda district police on Wednesday arrested six persons who had been stealing diesel from parked trucks in Nalgonda and Suryapet districts for past few days.

Police seized `6 lakh cash, 700 litres of diesel and four vehicles from the accused.

The gang was operating in four-wheelers with AP registration numbers and stealing diesel by breaking open the locks without raising suspicion while the truck drivers were in deep sleep, Nalgonda SP Chandana Deepti said.

The accused have been identified as Banawat Balabaddunayak alias Balu, 30, Gobind Naik, 33, Merajut Srinu Naik, 35, Merajut Babri Naik, 29, and Mudawat Venkateshwarlu Naik, 27, all natives of Sitarampuram Thanda village in Palnadu district. Another accused Vadtya Raju Nayak, 40, is from Nalgonda district.

The accused used to split in groups, move around the highways late at night in separate vehicles in Nalgonda and Suryapet to spot parked trucks and commit the offence, Chandana said.

They stole the diesel in cans and transported them to Andhra Pradesh to sell the petroleum and earn money, Chandana said.

The accused committed 17 thefts and stole over 2,400 litres of diesel in past one month. The police also seized four SUVs from them.

The accused along with the seized property were produced before the court.