A huge quantity of zinc alloy ingots, part of a consignment headed for Ethiopia and stolen near the Port area, was recovered on Sunday.

A gang of five had stolen 25 tonnes of zinc alloy ingots, worth Rs 60 lakh, on May 28 from a trailer truck when it was about to enter the port in Garden Reach, an officer of West Port police station said. Only 12.5 tonnes have been recovered.

After the theft, officials of Kamala Metachem, a zinc alloy manufacturing unit in Ranihati, Howrah, lodged a complaint. Five men, including the owner of the truck, were arrested in the past 10 days.

"The zinc alloy ingots are made by mixing zinc and non-ferrous metals like aluminium and tin. They are widely used in steel plants," an official of Kamala Metachem said.

Cops suspect one of the arrested, Surinder Mahato, 35, of Bihar is the kingpin. He has been living in Howrah for 10 years and had been arrested by officers of the detective department of Calcutta police last year on similar charges.

Cops zeroed in on Mahato after interrogating the truck owner, Abu Ibrahim, 45, alias Babloo Khan, of Ekbalpore.

The other arrested are the driver of the truck, Saif Ahmed, 27, and two middlemen, Hasmat Ali, 36, and Mohammad Imran, 30.

The ingots were recovered from the gang's hideouts in Metiabruz, Garden Reach, Kidderpore, Hooghly and Chamrail in Howrah's Liluah.

"This gang has been involved in stealing such metals and alloys and selling them in Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand," said Partha Pratim Das, officer-in-charge of West Port police station.

The five have been charged under various sections of the IPC. If proved guilty, they can be jailed for a maximum period of seven years.