HYDERABAD, May 21: Police seized three trailers carrying six Nato vehicles here on Tuesday evening and arrested a five-member gang involved in theft of spare parts from the vehicles being transported from Afghanistan to Karachi.

SP Wasi Hyder said the vehicles were part of the Nato forces’ equipment being withdrawn gradually from Afghanistan.

“Mostly parts were stolen and no weapon theft from the vehicles has been reported. The arrested men were mostly stealing batteries, wireless etc,” he said.

Hatri police carried out a raid and picked up Zar Mohammad, Zamir Khan, Akhtar Hussain, Noor Akbar and Mairaj Khan and impounded the three trailers, four armoured personnel carriers and two trucks.

Hatri SHO Munir Abbasi said: “The gang was stealing vital parts like air-conditioners, motors, searchlights and wireless accessories. These parts are said to be very expensive.”

The trailers use the National Highway for transporting the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s vehicles and equipment to and from the Karachi port.

Police said they had been receiving information that the thefts had been going on for quite some time as the trailers made a stopover and some people stole accessories of vehicles at a petrol station near a restaurant on the highway.

“We went to the place in plain clothes for surveillance but the suspects tried to flee. We intercepted one of the trailers and called in reinforcements,” the station house officer said.

He said the suspects managed to escape from the place but since they were not locals and weren’t familiar with the area, they were arrested from the vicinity.

He said Zar Mohammad led the gang, Zamir Khan was a mechanic who removed parts from the vehicles and Noor Akbar and Mairaj Khan were drivers. “They belong to Landi Kotal,” the police official said.

Initial investigation indicated that another gang involve in the same crime had left the area. However, police were yet to register a case, an official said.