Accused – Mohan Sivalingam
Bengaluru : A 25-year-old man allegedly involved in a series of domestic gas cylinder thefts has been arrested by Indiranagar police, who recovered 65 empty cylinders, a goods-carrying vehicle and Rs 2.5 lakh in cash from him. The theft came to light after a gas agency delivery man lodged a complaint with Indiranagar police on Aug 14. 74 empty domestic gas cylinders were stolen from the agency’s goods vehicle, which had been parked on Depot Service Road the previous evening, according to the complaint. The vehicle had been loaded with 173 cylinders and locked. When the delivery man returned the following morning, he found the lock broken and 74 cylinders missing. Police then traced Mohan, who was nabbed near Hosa Road in Parappana Agrahara on Sept 11. Police seized the valuables, including the 65 empty cylinders, the goods vehicle and Rs 2.5 lakh in cash.
Mohan was taken into police custody for six days, during which he allegedly revealed that the stolen cylinders had been sold to a gas agency in Krishnagiri.
Mohan, who owns and drives goods vehicles, would park his vehicles near the gas agency, according to police. The arrested accused has been identified as Mohan Sivalingam, a resident of Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu . He also disclosed that the vehicle used in the theft had been parked at a vacant site in Vinayakanagar in Begur, while the money received from the sale of the cylinders had been handed over to a friend working at the gas agency in Krishnagiri. He would allegedly steal the cylinders during the night and make his escape.