A man, who allegedly looted a LPG-laden truck by killing its driver for distributing free cylinders to garner support in upcoming panchayat polls, has been arrested along with three of his accomplices.
24-year-old Pradeep, a resident of Gogardiya village, had political ambitions and wanted to become sarpanch of his village, for which he decided to distribute free cylinders to village people and get their votes, Superintendent of Police B Satheesh Balan said today.
"He planned to distribute one LPG cylinder free of cost in each home of the village to secure votes in the upcoming panchayat elections," Balan said.
"To execute his plan, he not only looted a truck full of LPG cylinders at gun point, but also shot dead the driver and threw his body in the canal on September 22," he added.
The accused and three of his gang members were arrested on a tip off when they were planning to rob a car owner on Barwala road last night, he said.
The gang members fired shots towards the police team when they were asked to surrender, Balan said.
"In retaliation the cops also fired a few rounds. Finding themselves encircled by the police team they surrendered," he said.
The accused are involved in several crimes and police suspect some recent bank robberies in different parts of the state were also committed by this gang, Balan said.
They were produced before the local court which sent them to a seven-day police custody.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks