Lucknow, Jul 14 (IANS): An egg-seller, who was facing a financial crunch, connived with his four aides and looted a truck laden with 6,000 crates of eggs, amounting to Rs 5. 5 lakhs in Itaunja area of the city.

The consignment, which was booked from Haryana, was to be delivered in Bihar. The five miscreants, who had looted the truck on June 19, were arrested on Thursday.

After the loot, the miscreants had started leading a lavish life which made their competitors suspicious and they reported the matter to police who kept a tab on their activities and finally arrested them.

The miscreants were identified as Mohammed Faraz, the egg seller, Mumtaz, a tempo driver and Azmat Ali, a mobile phone mechanic, Sufian, a vegetable vendor and Ishtiaq, a driver.

They had used a sports utility vehicle in the crime.

DCP, north, Qasim Abidi said, “They have confessed their role in the crime. The truck was owned by one Shamshad Ahmad. The miscreants intercepted the truck near a toll plaza in Itaunja. They took driver Motilal and helper Munna Lal as hostage in the SUV and drove the truck to a secluded place in Sitapur where they unloaded the eggs which were finally brought to Faraz’s store in Lucknow on a mini-truck.

“Later, the miscreants freed the driver and the helper who immediately contacted their master in Haryana and the matter was also conveyed to truck owner who resides in Deoria,” said the officer.

The police had to scan 150 CCTVs to crack the case. “When we detained Faraz and started questioning him he broke down and spilled the beans,” Abidi said.

The five miscreants were paraded before driver of the looted truck and the cleaner who identified them.