Calcutta, Aug. 6: Stealing oil from parked cars and robbing unsuspecting truck drivers and traders by using a jeep with a beacon to intercept them was easy work for a gang until its luck ran out today.

Pramod Majumder alias Sanjay, a resident of Baranagar said to be the mastermind of the operations, was caught in a police swoop along with some of his henchmen. Eleven vehicles, including five Tata Sumos and a Mahindra Bolero, were seized.

Praveen Kumar, the North 24-Parganas superintendent of police, said: “We have arrested nine people from Cossipore, Baranagar, Rajarhat and some other parts of the city and North 24-Parganas. Two members of the gang are absconding, but we will get them soon.”

Preliminary investigations revealed that the gang not only emptied fuel tanks but also robbed businessmen on fringe areas of the city.

Explaining the gang’s method, Kumar said the Bolero was fitted with a beacon and the criminals used it to stop vehicles on the city roads and rob the occupants.

“While passers-by thought it was a police vehicle trying to extract a bribe, the gang committed the robbery and got away. We were on its trail for quite some time,” said a senior officer associated with the investigation.

After stopping the trucks, the gang members declared themselves policemen and forced the drivers to empty their pockets and also their fuel tanks. The Telegraph had earlier reported about the gang and how it was pilfering fuel from vehicles parked in the open.

Police investigations revealed that the gang used to steal fuel from parked vehi-cles in Lake Town, Manicktala, Salt Lake and some other parts of the city.

“They sold the oil at a very low price. The gang also robbed traders on their way to Mangla haat in Howrah and sold the booty. Those arrested have confessed that they made between Rs 15,000 and 1 lakh every day,” Kumar added.