Mumbai, April 5 (AHN) The police in Mumbai's Powai area have busted a major gas cylinder theft racket and arrested three accused. The main accused, Raj Chandrakant Kamble (45), along with two accomplices, have been taken into custody.

A total of 45 gas cylinders and three stolen motorcycles have been recovered from them, which were stolen from various areas of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Thane.

The Mumbai Police said, in recent days, due to the ongoing conflict in Gulf countries, there has been concern and uncertainty among citizens regarding the availability of gas cylinders.

At such a time, incidents of theft like these had further increased people's difficulties.

The case came to light when a complaint of a two-wheeler theft was registered in the jurisdiction of Powai Police Station.

During the investigation, it was found that the same stolen bike was used by the accused to carry out gas cylinder thefts.

Following this, police registered a formal case and began a detailed probe.

The police team carefully analysed local CCTV footage and based on technical investigation, identified the accused.

Subsequently, a raid was conducted in the Vartak Nagar area of Thane, where one accused was apprehended.

Based on the accused's leads, the other accused were also arrested.

During the investigation, police recovered three motorcycles and 45 gas cylinders from the possession of the accused, all of which had been stolen from different areas.

The police questioning revealed that the accused had been involved in such crimes for a long time.

According to police records, the main accused, Raj Chandrakant Kamble, has more than 10 criminal cases registered against him in Mumbai and other police stations.

Powai Police are currently probing the entire network and trying to identify other members involved in the gang.