Three alleged members of an inter-state gang that targeted vehicles on expressways for fuel were arrested in Greater Noida early on Wednesday, police said.
The accused were held around 12.30 am by officials from the Dankaur police station after a chase on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, which connects Ghaziabad to Faridabad via Noida and Greater Noida, they said.
"The gang was active in National Capital Region and has been working for a few years now in Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Hapur, Moradabad. They roamed in their modified-truck on the Yamuna Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway and Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and target vehicles, including trucks for fuel," Superintendent of Police, Greater Noida, Ranvijay Singh said.
"They used rubber pipes to transfer oil from vulnerable vehicles and transferred it to drums kept in their truck. Later, they would sell the oil in far off places to unauthorised fuel seller," he told reporters.
Three men arrested have been identified as Kallu, Mustafa and Bablu, all between 35 and 45 years of age, while two of their partners are at large, Singh said.
Around 300 litres of stolen fuel and Rs 10,000 were seized from their possession and their truck has been impounded, he added.
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Singh said earlier also the district police has arrested a couple of gangs with similar modus operandi which had led them to information about this trio.
An FIR has been registered in the case at the Dankaur police station and further proceedings are underway, he said.