Muzaffarpur, Nov. 27: Fourteen criminals allegedly involved in looting trucks and SUVs were arrested in the town late last night.

Police said the gang operated on the national highways in north Bihar. Three SUVs, items stolen and firearms were recovered from the men.

Zonal inspector-general of police Parasnath told The Telegraph that the 14 people were arrested.

Senior superintendent of police Ranjit Kumar Mishra said the criminals used to strike up conversations with the victims pretending to be truck drivers from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Subsequently, they used to rob the people of whatever they were carrying, including edible oil, grains, iron rods and electronic goods.

The men were mostly from Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Motihari and Bettiah, while cases have been registered against them in the north Bihar towns and Gopalganj, Siwan, Chhapra, Madhubani, Supaul, Kishanganj and Purnea.

“They put obstacles on the roads and parked heavy vehicles to slow down the trucks, mostly coming from outside Bihar. At least three members would overpower the driver and take control of the vehicle. They also used to put a cloth laced with chemicals on the victims’ mouth to render them unconscious,” the officer said. He added that the police recovered injections, chemicals and drugs used in the operation.

Bridge work

Tiger squad personnel of the special task force have been deployed at the construction site of Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam at Bangra Ghat on the Gandak to instil confidence among the engineers to continue working in spite of Maoist threats.

Personnel have also been deputed at the makeshift camp at Madhopur Hazari village in Muzaffarpur district. The bridge’s construction is set to resume in a day or two, said the company chairman, Vinay Kumar.