2 LPG cylinders stolen from Gr Noida home

As soon as the kids realised that the suspects had come empty-handed and were leaving with two gas cylinders, they fled the spot on a motorcycle

Greater Noida: Two unidentified suspects allegedly stole two LPG cylinders from a house in Greater Noida’s Beta area, police said on Wednesday, adding that teams are working to trace the suspects.

A CCTV video of the incident, accessed by HT, shows two men on a motorbike approach a house in Greater Noida, and after spending about two to three minutes inside, leave with two gas cylinders (Video Grab/HT)

A CCTV video of the incident, accessed by HT, shows two men on a motorbike approach a house in Greater Noida, and after spending about two to three minutes inside, leave with two gas cylinders.

Police said that a family of four, including a couple and their two children, resides in Beta society in Greater Noida. Both the husband and the wife work at private firms.

“On Monday, around 2:30 pm, when the couple were out for work and their children had just returned from school, two men on a bike visited their home. They told the kids that they had come to exchange their gas cylinders,” said a police officer part of the investigation.

“As the children were unaware of the exchange practice and assumed that the men might be from a gas agency, they did not resist and allowed them to do so. Subsequently, the suspects entered the kitchen, and collected two cylinders—one attached to the gas stove and another kept aside,” said the officer.

“When the children’s mother returned home 15 to 20 minutes after the incident, she was shocked to see what happened. She later approached the police and reported the incident,” the SHO added.

According to the police, prima facie it seems that the suspects conducted a recce before targeting the house. They took note of the couple’s departure and return timing, and especially of the 15-20 minutes gap when none of the parents was at home and the kids were alone.

“Inspection of the CCTV cameras installed along the route revealed that there was no registration number on the suspects’ motorbike. We are creating a road map and checking all nearby gas agencies to nab them,” said SHO Kumar, adding that a case of theft is being registered at Beta 2 police station on Wednesday and further investigation is underway.