Highway hijackers held, looted diesel tanker traced

The police arrested Kanhu Charan Choudhury and his associate Dipu Gocchayat of Tangi area in Cuttack who along with four other associates had kidnapped the tanker driver and his helper after looting the tanker.

According to police, the tanker carrying over 18,000 litres of diesel was on its way to a Keonjhar-based filling station from Vizag when it was stopped around midnight on Tuesday at Manguli Square on NH-5 by a group of persons coming in a car from behind.

"The interceptors asked the driver and helper to come down from the vehicle alleging that they had committed a hit and run case while the tanker was crossing Mahanadi bridge," police said adding the interceptors then hijacked the duo in their car.

The hijackers then freed the driver and his helper near Puri sea beach on Wednesday morning from where the duo returned to Manguli square only to find the tanker missing from the spot.

With the help of Indian Oil Corporation staff at Jobra depot in Cuttack city, the driver got in touch with the tanker owner in Hyderabad who immediately rushed to Cuttack seeking police help to trace the missing tanker.

The tanker was located at Janla toll gate in Khurda district on Friday evening while the diesel had been unloaded at a Brahmagiri filling station in Puri district, the police said.

"We are on the lookout of four other persons involved in this kidnapping and looting case," Tangi police inspector Sunil Mohanty said.