Lucknow: A gas agency owner in Lucknow’s Kakori area alleged that five men armed with illegal firearms assaulted workers, looted 409 empty LPG cylinders and Rs 22,000 cash, vandalised the warehouse and CCTV equipment and forcibly took away a labourer from the premises. Police registered an FIR and launched an investigation into the incident.According to the complaint filed by Islam Ahmad Abbasi, owner of the agency in Puraena village, the incident took place on the evening of Oct 6. An FIR was registered at Kakori police station on Oct 19 after the complainant approached authorities seeking legal action against the accused.Abbasi said Mohammad Yusuf, son of Mohammad Hashim, along with four associates, first arrived at the agency around 5 pm and held a recce, questioning workers on duty, Jitendra Kumar, Saurabh, Raman, Vijay Kumar and Pramod Kumar.They returned around 8.30 pm and assaulted the workers before breaking open the warehouse lock and loading 409 empty LPG cylinders onto vehicles.The accused took away Rs 22,000 in cash belonging to the workers.Abbasi, who was in Agra for business, said he received a phone call around midnight from the agency’s computer operator Dheeraj Kumar, informing him about the incident. The boundary walls of the agency were damaged and the CCTV camera had been damaged.But the CCTV system had already captured some photographs, Abbasi told police, adding that the images could help identify the accused.Abbasi said Yusuf and his associates took the labourer Pramod Kumar with them.Police are examining the allegations, CCTV evidence, photographs, damage to the premises and statements of witnesses. No arrests, recoveries of cylinders or updates on the missing worker were mentioned in the FIR.
