Date:20/07/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/07/20/stories/2004072015030300.htm

New Delhi

Dacoits raid LPG cylinder godowns, three killed

By Our Staff Reporter

GREATER NOIDA, JULY 19. Almost three dozen dacoits armed with iron rods and travelling in three tempos struck at three gas cylinder godowns and took away over 12,000 filled/empty cylinders after killing three persons and injuring six others at Kasna in Greater Noida on Sunday. The injured have been admitted to a local hospital. The police are yet to identity the culprits.

It all happened around 11-30 p.m. when three truckloads of dacoits struck at the Kasna Gas Agency of Indane, the Ila Gas Agency of IBP and the Bharat Gas Agency. All the godowns were located opposite the Honda Siel Factory.

The police said the dacoits attacked the agency staff with rods, locked them in rooms and uploaded the cylinders in their tempos. They kept plundering the godowns till 4 a.m. after which they fled away.

When the police reached the spot, they found that three of the victims had succumbed to their injuries. Two of them were identified as Santosh and Subodh, who worked for Kasna Gas Agency, while the third person was identified as Prem Chand, who worked for a company named Moser Baer.

He was returning home when he was attacked by the dacoits. The injured have been identified as Bapu Ram, Harish, Ram Naresh, Mange Ram, Rakesh and Sanju.

Initial investigations revealed that the dacoits had taken away over 12,000 cylinders with them.

However, the police are yet to identify the gang involved in the daring dacoity. Meanwhile, a case has been registered at the local police station.