Gangs eyeing kitchen treasure!

If denizens think that it is only cash, jewellery and electronic gadgets that need safe keeping, then be warned that there’s another prized possession of yours that has been lying unprotected in your kitchen - the LPG cylinder! Though it may sound strange, data show that cooking gas cylinders are next only to the above mentioned three categories of valuables on the priority list of thieves.

In fact, police issued an alert saying a gang specialising in cylinder thefts in locked houses has been on the prowl in the city. Police stations in the Cyberabad and Hyderabad Police Commissionerates have reported a rise in cases of housebreaks for LPG refills. Recently, a gang struck at the residence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president Bandaru Dattatreya at Ramnagar in Musheerabad and made away with four cooking gas cylinders. Cyberabad Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Crimes, G Surya Prakash Rao said more cases of cylinder thefts were being reported on the outskirts. “Apart from electronic gadgets like TV sets, music players and mobiles, robber gangs are keen to decamp with gas cylinders ,’’ he added. The reasons behind the interest in LPG refills among the gangs is not difficult to trace. According to police and civil supplies officials, their is a huge demand for gas cylinders in the market. “In view of their short supply, people are willing to buy them in black market at an exorbitant rate,’’ they said. Instant and easy disposal coupled with high returns without coming under the hawk eye of the police make cooking gas cylinders a try worth the toil for robber gangs. OA Prasad of Suraram Colony in Jeedimetla is a victim of one such offence. Robbers had broken into his locked house and made away with the domestic gas cylinder. He filed a police complaint, but there has been no trace of the cylinder and getting a replacement from the gas company is a tedious process. Private commercial establishments are the prime market for stolen cylinders. According to District Civil Supplies officials, a crackdown has already started on those using domestic gas cylinders for commercial purposes. Hyderabad District Civil Supplies Officer MM Ali and his team raided several small-scale establishments at Yousufguda, Rehmathnagar, Yellareddyguda and Motinagar and seized as many as 130 domestic gas cylinders being used for commercial purposes recently. Under the circumstances, police advise that people should keep their LPG cylinders safely inside the house, preferably by locking them with a chain - a kitchen treasure indeed!

moulimareedu@gmail.com