CHENNAI: The city cops and Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services personnel called off a frenetic search to locate a thief, who jumped into a pond while fleeing after abandoning a stolen LPG cylinder, in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Police said Muthu Kumar (40), resident of Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, R K Nagar, was rattled by a noise from his kitchen when he saw a figure walking out with the gas cylinder, around 1.15 am. He alerted neighbours and began chasing the thief, who took to his heels with the cylinder. As the weight dragged him, the thief abandoned the cylinder and jumped into a pool from a culvert on Ennore High Road. Meanwhile, the public alerted the police. As it was dark, the cops could not locate him and sought the help of the TNFRS to rescue the thief. After hours of search by Tondiarpet Fire Station team, the operation was called off.