In a bizarre and rather amusing theft attempt ended with the alleged thief falling asleep at the scene after stealing a domestic LPG cylinder in Melaghar under Sepahijala district.
The incident took place late Sunday night near Samar Setu at Fakirbari Pocharmar Ghat, on the outskirts of Telkajla Gram Panchayat under Melaghar police station.
According to local sources, the accused allegedly broke open the latch of the kitchen door at the house of Swapan Ghosh using pliers and stole an LPG cylinder. However, after carrying the cylinder some distance from the house, the alleged thief reportedly fell asleep.
At around 3.30 AM, Swapan Ghosh woke up and noticed that the LPG cylinder was missing from his kitchen. While searching the area, he reportedly found the stolen cylinder lying nearby and a man fast asleep beside it.
Seeing the unusual situation, Swapan raised an alarm, prompting local residents to rush to the spot. The villagers reportedly caught the sleeping man, tied his hands and legs and assaulted him before informing Melaghar police station.
Police soon arrived at the scene, detained the accused and took him to the police station.
The accused has been identified as Iman Hossain, a resident of the Telkajla area. Local residents alleged that Iman is a habitual offender and has previously been involved in several incidents of cattle theft and other criminal activities in the area. Locals further alleged that his repeated thefts and anti-social activities have caused considerable distress to residents, including his own family members.
According to preliminary police and local accounts, the accused is suspected of being addicted to drugs such as Yaba tablets and brown sugar. It is suspected that he may have entered Swapan Ghosh’s house to steal the cylinder to arrange money for drugs. However, whether he fell asleep due to intoxication, exhaustion or for some other reason is yet to be established.
Melaghar police station are investigating the incident and examining the circumstances surrounding the theft. The unusual incident has created considerable tension in the locality, while the manner in which the alleged thief was caught has also become a topic of amusement among residents.